


One by One

by calikocat



Series: Changing Hands [9]
Category: Big Wolf on Campus, Supernatural, Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Implied/Referenced Rape/Non-con, Multi, Sheriff Stilinski's Name is Tom
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-01-18
Updated: 2017-12-30
Packaged: 2018-09-18 08:24:12
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 28,786
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9376604
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/calikocat/pseuds/calikocat
Summary: Merton was the first to find his voice.  “I...have no words for this situation...uhoh doesn’t seem to suffice.”





	1. Broken Puzzle

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: Big Wolf on Campus, Teen Wolf, and Supernatural do not belong to me.

One by One  
Broken Puzzle

calikocat  
Word count: 4291

XXX

Jo stared at the little digital read out in... shock... not horror... not really. Definitely shock.

She was pregnant.

Her mind raced. When? Where? Not Dean...It was one of those early testers...and she and Dean hadn't been together in a while...but Cas. She was pregnant with Cas' child. Oh God. Oh no. What would he do if he found out? What if he already knew?

She couldn't go to the hospital for care, for prenatal anything, since she was a werewolf. Getting rid of it was not an option, not for her, she'd keep it. But the question of care was big one. How different would her pregnancy be from a human? She'd have to make a call to Pleasantville.

Then suddenly she was even more worried. Cas was on a rampage. Dean had given up. Pleasantville was on lockdown. Stiles was expanding his pack or had plans to...and she was supposed to be helping him heal Peter. Ugh. Frustrated she hid the test and headed to the hospital.

 

Once Jo got to the long term care facility she did as they normally would and started to slip past the nurse's station...only the nurse wasn't at her station. That had never happened before and it put her on edge, more than she already was. It made her more cautious as she crept to Peter's room...where she found the door closed...and she could hear two heart beats inside, both faster than normal. She was familiar with Peter's heartbeat by now and it was definitely faster than it should be; something was wrong.

She tried the door handle but it was locked. Damn. Ever so carefully and quietly she picked the lock, something every hunter learned at a young age, and she opened the door. The curtain was pulled around the bed, blocking her view of Peter and whoever...it was the nurse, Jo could smell her; hear her heavy breathing...and she could smell...lust. Shit. With a bad feeling Jo pulled out her phone and started video recording as she approached the curtain and just barely moved it aside.

And there was Peter's nurse going down on him while he lay immobile and naked propped up on his bed. Jo kept her hand steady even as rage filled her; how dare she...this person was supposed to be a professional care giver...and here she was taking advantage of him. Jo took a steadying breath and cried out in shock.

“Oh my God!” The nurse nearly choked when she snapped her head up, spit trailing from her lips to Peter's penis that was half hard. “What are you doing?”

The nurse wiped her chin. “You aren't supposed to... Are you filming? Give me that!” She scrambled off the bed and went for Jo. Jo let just a little of her rage free and knocked her out, holding back her strength like Stiles had taught her. The woman went down and was out cold. Jo had the entire debacle on her phone. She stopped the recording, saved it, and called Tom.

“Jo?”

Her voice shook a little. “I need to report a rape.” When she saw Peter's robe draped over the back of his wheelchair she snatched it up and covered him with it. “Tom?”

“What did you say?”

“I'm in Peter's room. I caught his nurse molesting him. I have it on my phone.”

“Jesus. And the nurse?”

“Unconscious.”

“Let Stiles know.”

“He was going to be my next call.”

“I'll be there soon with a team, don't let anyone mess with the scene.”

“I...I covered Peter up with his robe.”

“That's okay, don't do anything else.” He hung up and she texted Stiles, telling him to call her since he was at school, probably in the middle of class.

While she waited for him to get back to her Jo sat by Peter at the head of the bed, made sure he was covered...dear God. His face was wet. Peter was crying...he was aware. “I'm so sorry Peter.” She put an arm around his shoulders. “You know, I came here because I needed to talk to someone. I'm pregnant and don't know what I'm going to do. The father is an angel...and he's supercharged now and going on a killing spree. This baby is gonna be half angel and half werewolf. What do we even call that?” She sighed and wiped her own tears away. “I'll stay with you as long as they'll let me.”

Her phone rang, startling her a little, it was Stiles. “Jo?”

“Peter is aware.”

“What, how do you know?”

“His nurse was molesting him.”

“What!”

“Stiles, he was crying.”

She could almost feel his rage over the phone, how it mimicked her own. “Is she dead?”

“No... Just unconscious. Your dad is on his way.”

“Stay with him. I'm leaving school early.”

“I'll be here.”

 

Tom got there first, looking a little haggard in his Sheriff's uniform; a team was right behind him. A Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner (SANE) let her stay while the team collected evidence from the nurse. She held Peter's hand as samples were taken from him, and she handed over her cell phone to Tom. He didn't watch the video, not there in the hospital room with so many people, instead he bagged it as evidence.

The SANE worker seemed as shocked as Jo had been when she noticed Peter's tears and ordered a full examination and series of tests and started looking through Peter's charts.

Tom looked over her shoulder. “What is it Maria?”

“The charts say he's completely unresponsive...but that's obviously not the case. He's in there.”

“Damn. We were hoping to reach him...but this...”

The SANE, Maria, looked confused. “Sheriff?”

“He's sort of family. His sister and my wife were best friends. My son and Jo here come in all the time to sit with him.”

“I know I let you stay Miss, because it looks like he's trying to grip your hand, but I need to know who you are.”

Jo blinked and looked at where she was holding Peter's hand, and realized there was a slight pressure from him. She smiled just a little. “I'm the Sheriff's potential step-daughter.”

Tom rolled his eyes. “I'm dating her mother.”

“I see, and why did you come here today, Jo?”

Jo took a breath. “I needed a quiet space...and we all tell Peter our problems.”

Tom frowned, worried. “Jo...?”

“I'm pregnant...and...the father...” She looked at him and hoped he'd figure it out without her having to say it.

He blinked, and then winced, as if understanding her completely and her reluctance to say his name. “Damn.”

Maria looked from Jo to Tom. “Not in the picture?”

Jo shook her head. “He left me.”

Tom sighed and rubbed a hand over his tired face. “Does your mother know?”

“I just used the test this morning.”

He gave her a smile. “It'll be okay kid. Stiles will be excited about being an uncle.”

Stiles' voice came from the hall, a bit shrill and more than a little surprised. “I'll be what now?” Jo wondered how overwhelmed she must be as she hadn't heard him approach.

Tom smiled. “Sorry son, crime scene.”

“Oh come on! You guys can't just talk about me being an uncle and not elaborate!”

Maria bagged the last of her samples. “The examination is over. He can come in.”

Tom nodded. “You heard the lady, come on in son.”

Stiles came in, just in time to watch the nurse get carted out in cuffs, she was still unconscious. Jo nodded toward the bags of evidence. “My phone is in police custody, I'll be out of touch.”

“It’s cool, heroes totally get new phones.” Stiles replied; eyeing the unconscious woman as the deputies rounded the corner with her. “She's getting put away right?”

Maria nodded. “We should have a strong case against her with the kit and the video and Jo's eye witness account.”

“Good.” He looked to Tom with a raised brow. “What are the odds of Derek and his uncle both being raped by women?”

“Better than we thought...someone will have to call Laura.”

“Can we get custody?”

Tom blinked, a little confused. “What are you thinking son?”

“That the Hale's have been hurt enough and Gran has room.”

He grinned at Stiles. “I'll see what I can do.”

“Thanks Dad. So... uncle?”

Jo sighed and laid her head on Peter's shoulder. “I'm pregnant.”

Stiles stared at her for long moment. “...Holy...Wait. Is the dad...Cas?”

“Yeah.”

“Holy crap.” He let the thought process a bit before he shook his head. “... Moving on. Gran is gonna be excited. Heck, Scott is gonna be excited.”

Maria laughed and packed up her kit and samples. “I'll keep you posted Sheriff; and we'll see about clearing up his charts.”

“Thanks, I appreciate it.”

The room cleared until it was just Tom, Stiles, Jo, and Peter. Stiles sat on Peter's other side. “I am so sorry Peter.” He reached up to wipe away the tear tracks on Peter's cheeks, careful of his scars. “Give me Laura's number.”

“Stiles.”

“Dad I'm capable of defending my territory and Peter needs out of here. He needs to be with wolves, with a pack full time.”

Tom sighed. “Tonight I'll make the call, you can talk to her then; and I'll put a man outside the room. Shouldn't need it, but just in case, there will be a guard outside.”

“I'll stay the night.” Jo offered.

“You sure?”

“Yeah.”

Stiles nodded. “Okay. Thanks...you still need to tell Ellen though.”

Jo sulked and snuggled closer to Peter. Stiles cupped her cheek next and didn't press the issue; instead he carefully redressed Peter and just let her be.

xxx

Harriet was at the front door waiting for them when they pulled up and climbed out of Rufus's truck, each with a duffel bag in hand. She had a smile for them and a kiss for Rufus, before shoo-ing him inside. “Go on, you know where my room is.” He grinned and went up, eager for a shower and a few days of rest.

Gwen gave Harriet a thumb up before tossing her own duffel on the sofa, and sank down beside it. “We miss anything?”

“Ellen was out looking at land for a new bar.”

“A new Roadhouse?”

“I don't know what she's going to call it, but something similar...Now though she's headed to the hospital’s long-term care unit.”

Gwen sat up a little. “What happened?”

“Friend of the family is there, has been for years. Jo caught his nurse assaulting him.”

“He couldn't stop her?”

“No, he's not physically able to.”

Gwen stared at her for a second. “Something else happen?”

“Jo is pregnant.”

“Dean's?” The question was hopeful.

“No.”

“Oh wow.”

“Yeah. She and Ellen are going to stay with Peter tonight, in case the nurse makes bail.”

“You’re going to leave him there after that?”

“Not if Stiles gets his way. How long are you two staying?”

“For a while.” Gwen looked up toward the ceiling where they knew Rufus was unpacking. “He missed you.”

Harriet smiled. “The missing was mutual.”

xxx

Laura answered her phone, curious as to why Tom was calling her. “Hello?”

Tom's voice was solemn and formal as it came over the line. “My alpha wants a word with you.”

“Okay...put him on.” There was a muffled noise; she wondered what exactly LA had to say.

“Alpha Hale.” A voice came on the line, one that didn't sound familiar, but then she hadn't heard his voice since he was ten.

“LA? What's up?”

“I want you to call your lawyer and give my dad power of attorney over Peter or custody or something.”

She bristled at his tone and the command in it. “Why would I do that?”

Anger came next. “Because you left him here, and you haven't seen him in years. My pack members and I come here all the time to visit him, talk to him, and sit with him.”

“That doesn't-”

He snarled and it made her own voice catch in her throat. “One of my betas caught his nurse raping him. There is video evidence on my beta’s phone, a rape kit has been done and the nurse can't make bail at this time.”

“If she's in jail it won't happen again.”

“He's aware Laura. He was crying when Jo, my beta, knocked out the nurse. He can't move, though Jo swears he tried to grip her hand and he is very aware of his surroundings.” 

Laura felt sick and found herself nodding in agreement, though he couldn't see the gesture. “I'll get on it...are you going to move him?”

“Yes, to somewhere safe.”

“Where?”

His voice had lost the anger and become more conversational. “My grandmother's place. She's a Woman of Letters...do you know what that is?”

“Merton told me. Can she keep him safe though?”

“Gran is my acting emissary and can handle herself. Jo and her mom will be there too.”

“Thank you for telling me, thank your beta for me...I owe her. Anything I can do...”

“Actually, Jo is pregnant and any information about werewolf pregnancies would be awesome...its...not going to be easy.”

“Couplings between wolf and human are more common than you realize.”

“I didn't say the father was human.”

“Then what?”

“Angel.”

“Oh...that's...”

“Uncharted territory, I know.”

“I'll see what I can do...Merton may be better able to help you with that.”

“Trust me; I'll be calling him...and one more thing.”

“What's that?”

“Its time Laura.”

She felt a smirk twist her lips. “Time for what?”

“I'm expanding my pack, Jo has a pup on the way and I'm looking for a permanent Emissary. I'm ready for Derek.”

“I'll decide that when I come to check things out for myself.”

“Just let me know when you're coming.”

“No. I think a surprise visit would be better.”

He growled again. “You're going to test me? Really?”

“You got it. You're what… sixteen now? Or very close to it? Derek is twenty-two, are you sure you can handle being his Alpha?”

“Yes.”

“Overconfidence isn't very becoming LA.”

“It isn't overconfidence. It’s experience. I'll see you when you show up, whenever that's going to be.” He paused. “See you soon Derek.”

Laura looked up, startled to see Derek. She hadn't even known he was in the room. Derek smiled a little. “I can't wait LA.”

He hung up and Laura glared at her phone, then at Derek. “How did he know you were here? I didn't.”

Derek shrugged, but didn't stop smiling.

xxx

They were on high alert and doing their best to do damage control from Pleasantville. Gabriel was snatching up a few angels here and there, sometimes taking Vince, Balthazar, or Merton on rescue missions with him. They weren't sure if Cas really wasn't noticing them, or if he was just letting them dart around because he was bored and planned to smite them when they least expected it.

When they were able to save an angel, or group of angels, from Super Cas they did. The angels were always injured or near death so were unable to truly protest when the pack put them in… well...Gabriel called it protective custody. In other words...the cells of the dungeon were fast filling up. The cells that were in good condition and had full warding so were now all in use. Gil and Terri had to excavate all of the old cells that had fallen into disrepair in the deeper tunnels under the castle. Terri went so far as to carve out several new cells, watching her simply carve the rock with only her mind was very chilling, but awesome.

The angels weren't happy, not to mention they wanted revenge on Cas, and they weren't fond of the pack either...so the wards were a must and while the angels healed Merton taught Jesse how to seal them in, lock them down. Hopefully it would be enough.

 

After one such rescue mission Merton and Jesse were sealing an injured angel inside a cell while Balthazar groaned and complained about how ungrateful the bastards were. They didn't have to save them after all from death and ceasing to exist.

Merton scoffed. “The afterlife isn't so bad for you guys.” Everyone stared at Merton, but he didn't look up until the cell was sealed tight. When he did look up he was shocked to see them all so focused on him. “What?”

Balthazar frowned. “Angel's don't go anywhere when they die. We cease to exist.”

Again Merton scoffed. “Nah, it just took God a while to build a place for you guys.”

There was more staring and Tommy asked him; “Babe, how do you know that?”

“I dreamed about Lucifer complaining about the no violence policy...apparently God is a fan of Joss and the rules of Caritas.”

Balthazar's jaw dropped. “God sends you dreams?”

“Eh, more like I just sort of pick them up. I can't block them the way I can your chatter.”

There was more staring, more jaws dropping. Balthazar looked like he was about to experience a seizure the way his face was twitching. “You can understand Enochian?”

“Spoken, not written.”

Gabriel choked a little. “You can tune in to Angel Radio?”

“Yep. I tend to block it out though. You guys are boring and full of yourselves.”

Balthazar turned to Gabriel and gave him a congratulatory pat on the back. “Well done, and you did all that sleeping around with Dad's permission.”

Gabriel shrugged. “He never stopped me, but he had to know what I was doing.”

There was a rushing sound, a flapping of wings, a new trick that Vince had learned. “You need to come upstairs. Alpha Stilinski is on the phone.”

Tommy frowned. “What's happened?”

“Jo is pregnant...the crazy one is the father.” The silence that followed his statement was harsh and shocked.

Merton was the first to find his voice. “I...have no words for this situation...uhoh doesn’t seem to suffice.”

“Really? You think so?” Balthazar snorted.

Gabriel, however, grinned. “Hey, Balli.”

“Don't call me that.”

“We're gonna be uncles.”

“You have no shame.”

“Neither do you.”

“True.”

Tommy rolled his eyes. “Alright, break time. Vince, you mind zapping us up to the phone?”

“Don't mind.”

“Thanks Vince. You know, I really don't think the kid meant to expand his pack quite like this.”

Tommy shook his head. “No, I bet he didn't.”

xxx

Stiles waited patiently for someone in Pleasantville to pick up...okay not really. He was agitated and angry, mostly at himself for being so...naive.

Laura had been true to her word and her lawyer in Beacon Hills had been by the next day with paperwork for his dad to sign. They had Peter packed up and transferred to Gran's house before the sun set. Then...on a whim...Stiles had tried something...and it had knocked him on his ass and he'd even blacked out. So now he was furious at himself for not putting the pieces together.

Tommy finally came on the line. “Sorry Stiles, we were in the dungeons.”

“I'm afraid to ask why.”

“Saving injured angels and locking them up for their own safety...and ours. What's up?”

“We have custody of Peter Hale...it’s a long and disturbing story.”

“What happened?”

“His nurse was periodically raping him.”

“Oh my gosh.”

“Yeah...and Jo witnessed it, knocked out the nurse...and realized Peter was crying.”

“But...he's been unresponsive since the fire...Laura said so.”

“Oh he can't move, but he knows what's going on around him. He's trapped in his own body Tommy.”

“Crap...I can't imagine...What are you going to do for him?”

“Well, ever since the fire I've been going in and spending time with him. Hoping that the presence of another wolf would help him...maybe it has. Then with this new horror...I started to think. To wonder...if he's aware...is he in any pain.”

“What did you do Stiles?”

“I tried to take away any pain he might be experiencing.”

“And is he in pain?”

“Dude, he's in so much pain...that I blacked out. He's healing...his body is putting itself back together...unfortunately its focusing on his nerves and pain receptors right now and I have no idea how long it’s been focusing on that.”

“Shit.”

“Yeah...so I have a huge favor to ask...along with any help you can give Jo...I don't want her to try and take Peter's pain...not while pregnant and I'm no good to anyone if I'm unconscious all the time.”

“What do you need?”

“Can Merton heal him? Completely? Or if not even that, just enough so that he's not in so much pain...or hell can he just numb him a bit. Something...anything.”

“I'll talk to Merton...Balthazar and Gabriel are here too...we'll have to be discreet. Don't want to get smitten by the new god.”

“That would suck. Get back to me.”

“Sure Stiles. Tell Jo congrats”

“I will.”

They hung up and Tommy went to find Merton. Something definitely had to be done about Peter Hale.

xxx

“So hunters did this to him?” Rufus asked as he opened a window to let in some fresh air. They had no idea if Peter appreciated the gesture, but it was better than stale hospital air. 

Jo nodded, still feeling weepy; she wasn't sure if it was hormones or just feeling horrible that they couldn't do more for Peter when he was in so much pain. “Yeah.”

“I've never gone after anything like that.” Rufus grimaced. “And I never went after a Lycaon either. Knew a few; years ago, they were good people.”

Gwen looked thoughtful. “So...if you weren't pregnant, you could take his pain?”

Jo snorted. “I could probably take his pain now...Stiles forbid it though.”

“And you have to follow his order, because he's your alpha? You can't say no?”

Jo felt the barest pressure on her hand again. “Peter doesn't want me to risk the baby.”

They stared and Rufus shuddered. “Poor bastard.”

Gwen's fists clenched. “Would he give me the bite?”

“Girl what are you thinking?”

“Gwen?” Jo looked up at her, surprised.

“He needs more Betas right? And if I was like you I could take some of his pain...no one deserves what he's been through.”

“Would you keep up you're hunting?” They jumped a bit; Stiles didn't so much as smirk at them, his eyes serious and focused on Gwen.

“Yeah. It’s what I am...and maybe...if there are more hunters who are Lycaons...other hunters won't be so quick to kill. I have family still, connections...I could be your-”

“Liaison.”

“Yeah.”

Stiles took a deep, cleansing breath. “The bite doesn't always take. You have to want it.”

“I want it.”

“But for the right reasons?”

She looked to Peter, sitting on a loveseat beside Jo, his face impassive. “For Peter. For Jo...who knows how many will be gunning for that baby. For the pups in Pleasantville. For your mother's pack...they didn't deserve to be slaughtered like that. For all the wolves killed for no reason.”

“I can't take it back once I've got my fangs in you.”

Gwen nodded. “I can take it.”

Stiles started to step away. “I'll give you a day or two to think about it.”

“It’s what she wants Stiles, and she sounds very sure of herself. Once a woman makes up her mind, she won't change it. Not about something so important.” Harriet said from the doorway.

“Are you speaking as my Gran, my acting emissary, or my wise pack elder?”

“All three.”

He nodded. “Have a seat Gwen.” She squeezed on to the loveseat on Peter's other side. “You particularly attached to those jeans?”

“No? You're going to bite my leg?”

“I'm building my pack, best to start from the bottom. Women have way more lower body strength than men. Seems fitting to give you the bite on one of your legs.”

“He bit my thigh.” Jo murmured. “You'll want something to bite down on. It hurts.”

Stiles took off his own belt and handed it to Gwen; she placed it between her teeth and bit down, just as she took Peter's hand. Stiles leaned forward and turned, placing his teeth on her thigh and in one smooth motion human teeth became wolf. His eyes went from whiskey to red as he bit down.

Gwen screamed, belt clinched in her teeth, and through the pain, she could feel Peter's hand twitch in her grip.

XXX


	2. Mixed and Matched

calikocat  
Word count: 5596

XXX

Because they had been running themselves ragged saving angels left and right, whenever the winged fools tried to take on SuperCas, no one had enough juice to completely heal Peter Hale. Healing dying angels took a lot of power, more than saving a human, much more than completely healing a werewolf.

Gabriel had arrived hours after the phone call and put up a barrier in Peter's mind to block the pain. He looked more than exhausted and Stiles called him on it, even though it was the first time he'd ever met the Archangel and had no frame of reference.

Gabriel didn't seem surprised at his accusation or his attitude. “Well yeah kid...I stopped by South Dakota and cobbled together a flimsy barrier for Sam's brain before I stopped by here. I don't know how well it will hold...Death is better at that kind of thing than me...but it’s better than nothing.”

“Death? The Death?”

“Yep.”

“Freaky. So anyway, try to do something about that exhaustion...and thanks. I owe you.”

Gabriel smirked. “He's Hale Pack, not Kolton. Alpha Hale owes me.” He winked. “She's going to be in debt up to her ears.”

Stiles frowned. “Its Stilinski Pack; and maybe she will be in debt. But not to me.”

“Oh?”

Stiles nodded. “There's just one thing I want from her.”

“Oh, right.” He grinned and it was mischievous. “I got a picture.” Gabriel pulled a photo out of his jacket. “Gil and I stopped in New York. Here ya go.” He handed the picture to Stiles.

He accepted it and then stared at it in awe. It was Derek...all grown up. His skin was as pale as Stiles remembered it, his jaw a little stronger, cheek bones perfect. Those gorgeous eyes still the most unusual shade of green he'd ever seen, though the small snapshot didn't do him justice. Stiles wondered what exactly he had to offer such a beautiful person with his gangly awkward build and small pack. He talked a good game to Laura...but what did he have to give Derek really?

A kind hand settled on his shoulder and squeezed gently. “Cheer up kid. You're a looker.”

He looked at Gabriel who was smirking at him. “I'm what now?”

“Pale skin, whiskey eyes, all those cute moles. Even the buzz cut suites you. And your Pretty Wolf can't wait to get back to you.”

Stiles took a breath and chose to believe him. “Thanks… For the words and for helping.”

“You got it. Nice choice in Betas by the way. Enjoy your summer vacation.” He smirked again as he disappeared from Gran's front porch and Stiles tucked the photo in his own jacket.

xxx

It was a bit of a shock when they showed up at the castle. The unfamiliar SUV just pulled up and parked out front before the Argents climbed out. It was odd and unexpected and made Tommy glad Terri was hanging with his folks for the day, in case there was a hunter invasion.

He stepped outside the castle and waited for them to walk up the steps. Chris Argent, his wife, and their daughter. With their daughter in tow Tommy assumed they wouldn't be fighting, especially since their truce from a few years before was still in place. Bringing their daughter was a show of good faith.

Still, he was glad Merton had already given birth to Colby, it wasn't an easy thing to explain a pregnant man...and the last thing they wanted was to expose the well kept secret of epsilons to a clan of hunters. However...Becka was due and could literally go into labor at any moment.

Chris looked somber as they made their way up the steps to Tommy, his wife looked more...tense. Their daughter smiled openly at him, showing her dimples. Tommy couldn't help but smile back. “Argent.”

Chris nodded. “Call me Chris, Alpha Dawkins. This is my wife, Victoria, and our daughter, Allison.”

“Tommy. It’s nice to meet you both.” Victoria Argent only nodded, but Allison shook the hand he offered. “So, what's up?”

Victoria's eyes narrowed. “There is some sort of creature wreaking havoc all over the world and you ask 'What’s up?'?”

Allison tugged on her mother's sleeve. “Mom.”

Tommy only shrugged. “Your family specializes in werewolves. What else would you want to talk about?”

Chris sighed and asked; “May we come in? Regardless of what we talk about, it would be better to discuss it inside.”

Tommy tilted his head. “You're word none of my pack will come to harm from your family while you're in my territory?”

Allison stepped forward and nodded. “You have my word, Alpha Dawkins… Tommy.”

He looked at her for a long moment and could detect nothing but sincerity. “I'll hold it to you...my sister-in-law is here...human...and pregnant.”

Chris nodded in approval of his caution. “It’s good to be careful with your family's safety.”

Tommy opened the door behind him, Lori stood just inside. “You sure about this?”

He nodded. “Their leader gave her word.” His eyes found the Argents’ again. “Follow me, Lori can hold any weapons you have on you until you leave.”

Allison shook her head. “We left them in the car.”

“Okay. We can talk in the study.” He led them out of the entryway, the foyer, and down a hall. Bailey ran past them on all fours. “Inside running!”

“Aww!”

“Those are rules Bailey, besides we have company.”

Bailey pouted but nodded and rose to his feet. “Fine.” He didn't give them another look as he left.

When they got to the study Jesse and Adalynn were there with Merton, who was feeding Colby a bottle. Jesse was making mountain ash...and what looked like salt move in the air. The grains of both were moving in circles, one black and one white. Tommy blinked, impressed. “Well, that will make trapping demons on the fly a lot easier.”

Adalynn grinned with pride at Jesse's abilities. “Isn't it cool Daddy!?”

“It sure is. Can you guys pack it in for a bit though? We've got company.”

She made face. “Grown up stuff?”

He sighed and it was heartfelt. “Afraid so.” Tommy shot Merton a glance, then one to Jesse.

Merton nodded and stopped feeding Colby who whined. “You two mind talking Colby with you and finish feeding him?”

The grains of salt and mountain ash stopped in the air, and then floated down to their separate containers. Jesse capped them and put them in the box on Merton's desk. “Sure.”

“But we were gonna play.” Adalynn objected.

Jesse put his hand on her shoulder. “They're Hunters, Addy.”

Adalynn froze, her eyes turned gold. “Did they come for Gil?”

Tommy shook his head. “No. They're here to talk about something else.”

“Come on Addy.” Jesse spoke to her softly as he took Colby from Merton. “Addy get Colby's bottle please.”

She nodded and picked up the half finished bottle and started to follow Jesse out of the study, giving the Argents a wide berth. “Are they friends?” She asked from the doorway.

“We have a truce.”

“What kind of Hunters?”

Merton sighed. “Argents.”

Adalynn growled and wolfed out. “If they hurt us like they did Derek...Uncle Sam and Uncle Dean will get them.”

Merton gaped a bit. “Adalynn Dawkins, we are in a truce with them. Don't make threats.” She de-wolfed and stomped out after Jesse.

Allison turned to look at them. “Sam and Dean?”

Merton settled back in his desk chair. “Winchester.”

Victoria sneered a little. “You know those loose cannons?”

Tommy frowned. “They're pretty much family.”

Merton nodded. “My little sister married their younger brother.”

Chris looked a little ill. “I didn't know there was another.”

Tommy shook his head. “Adam isn't a hunter...he was raised by his mom, outside of the life.”

Victoria looked as disturbed as Chris. “And he joined your pack.”

Merton frowned, and with a flick of will slammed the study door shut, making all three Argents jump. “Well, after his mother was eaten by ghouls, he and Becka had their own close call with said ghouls. They eventually moved in, safety in numbers and all that.”

Victoria was eyeing him now. “Fascinating.”

Allison huffed and elbowed her mother. “May we sit?”

Tommy motioned them to the couch, Allison nodded in thanks and the three of them settled on it. Though Chris was more perched on the arm. Tommy took charge of a chair in front of Merton's desk. Merton stayed where he was and steepled his fingers. “So, to what do we owe this unexpected visit?”

Allison shifted forward. “This thing that's causing so much chaos, that's slaughtering people everywhere. Do you know what it is?”

Tommy blinked. “Why would you come to us for answers?”

Chris gave him a look. “Because of your reputation, you've done a lot to take out the monsters.”

“And you apparently know the Winchester brothers.”

Allison grinned and looked hopeful. “Are the books true?”

Victoria huffed. “Of course not Allison.”

Merton groaned. “They're true.” Chris and Victoria looked pained at the confirmation.

Allison, however, pulled a book out of her purse. “And these?” She held it up; it was the first book in the Big Wolf on Campus series.

Tommy nearly fell out of his chair. “Jesus.”

“Yep.”

“How?” She asked, curious.

Tommy was still too mortified to answer so Merton did. “The guy that wrote them turned out to be a prophet. He had no idea that the dreams and visions he was writing down were true events.”

Tommy groaned and finally found his words. “We made him promise to stop publishing.”

“Sam added extra incentive when he threatened to shoot him.”

“Yeah.”

Allison waved the book a little. “Will you sign it?”

Victoria looked shocked and embarrassed. “Allison!”

“I loved these books; I kept hoping you two would get together in high school.”

“That didn't happen till college.” Merton laughed.

Chris was smiling a little now. “We're getting off topic.”

Merton nodded and got down to business. “His name was Castiel. He was an angel.”

They stared and Victoria blurted out; “You're joking.”

Tommy shook his head. “Nope. Cas was an Angel of the Lord...but he's gone kinda crazy with power.”

“Why?” Allison asked, putting her book on the coffee table.

Merton sighed. “He opened Purgatory a little, sucked in a whole bunch of souls...defeated Raphael and killed him. That was the only good thing he did because Raph wanted to end the world. Now he's going around 'fixing' everything.”

She looked at him, eyes serious. “How do we stop him?”

Tommy snorted. “We have no idea. The guy can make someone explode with a snap.” He snapped his finger and thumb to demonstrate. Allison shuddered.

Merton spoke, a little quieter this time. “We've gone on a few rescue missions...saved a few angels who opposed him...but we don't have enough power to take down an angel chock full of soul steroids who can take out archangels.”

Chris shook his head. “So what now?”

Tommy shrugged. “Stay under the radar, don't get killed.” He frowned and his eyes were drawn to the closed door. “Something's happening.”

Gil threw open the door, breathing heavily. “Becka's water just broke. Adam is carrying her to the infirmary. Lori is prepping.”

Merton stood. “Ready to play midwife Gil?”

“Always. Vince and Sparky are with the kids.”

Allison stood. “Do you need any help?”

Tommy and Merton shared a look and Merton asked. “Tommy?”

He nodded. “Scrub up.”

Then Merton grinned. “Yeah, since you won't be any help.”

Tommy's jaw dropped. “Oh come on Merton. I only faint when it’s your blood.”

The Argents stared at Tommy in disbelief...then Allison giggled before following Gil out of the study.

xxx

There was literally almost no time to worry about the bloody path Cas was cutting across the world, smiting religious leaders and terrorist groups. Jo refused to talk about him or watch the news, instead she concentrated on her baby, taking care of Peter, and patrolling. Though now patrolling for Jo meant just doing circuits around the three towns of Beacon County: Beacon Hills, Lodestar, and Pharos...and the small community of Balefire that didn't really qualify as a town, but had its own post office.

Gwen was taking to being a werewolf like a duck to water or whatever the saying was. She loved it. It made excursions into the woods very interesting. Stiles taught her to track as a wolf...and she taught Scott how to track as a human. And for the first time Scott was enthusiastic about learning how to shoot...it turned out he was better with a bow and crossbow than he was a gun. He was taking his part as a human Beta very seriously.

Aside from Crazy Cas going around killing, summer vacation was shaping up to be pretty good. Peter didn't seem to be in as much pain so the block Gabriel had put in his mind was working. Gwen went on extensive patrols with Stiles; learning to run on all fours, jump from tree to tree. And their first full moon, just a couple of days after school let out, they stayed close to Grans. Heck, they didn't even leave the yard; they set up sleeping bags and slept in a pile around Peter so the moonlight was hitting him. Stiles slept in his Alpha-form...and by morning Peter could curl his fingers.

It was the greatest success they'd had in his progress since Gabriel blocked off his pain.

 

Other things changed. Ellen bought some property, with the intent of opening a bar and grill. Not in any of the towns, but slightly out of the way. Kind of like the Roadhouse. Stiles suggested calling it Den and Dinner...or The Wolf Den. No one besides him thought it funny or clever...well...Scott had snorted and it made Jo smile. Getting Jo to smile was a victory in Stiles' book.

And as devastating as it was to have Cas crazy with power and lost to them...and he was lost to them. Stiles had no doubt about that. Cas had appeared to him from a distance...but Stiles still caught his scent and it was wrong. Wrong in a terrible way. But as long gone as Cas was he didn't have time to worry about it.

Because an omega sauntered into his territory.

xxx

Jo was sitting with Peter tonight, as she did most nights. Gwen and Rufus were on a hunt with a few cousins of hers up in Oregon. His dad was on his own standard patrol. Scott was helping Ellen at the Light House, or what would be the Light House. The bar and grill she was having built; that Gran was helping her finance as a silent partner. In fact, Gran was there that night. The contractor thought Ellen was a little strange for wanting it to have a basement; but they'd built it to her specifications, including the panic room that the three of them were putting the finishing touches on. The main building was looking good too, the framework already up.

So Stiles was on his own for the night, patrolling; mostly because he'd caught the scent of another wolf in his territory. It wasn't an alpha, so it had to be an omega. Though to be fair it could be a beta doing recon for their alpha; as there were probably rumors about a there being a pack in Beacon County again. But after tracking it for a while he didn't think it was doing recon for another pack, because he didn't like the other wolf's movements. He'd tracked it to several cemeteries...and more recently the high school. He wasn't sure what to think about it going to the school, even though the grounds were usually empty during the summer, it worried him. Enough that he was swinging by tonight.

“Stop!”

Stiles froze. He knew that voice, he'd just never heard it sound so distressed before.

“I said no!”

Holy crap! That was Danny!

“Dude, back off!”

Stiles ran toward the sound of Danny's voice, paws barely touching the ground. It was a cliché...but it sounded like Danny was under the bleachers, struggling now. Crapcrapcrap. He skidded to a stop on the gravel, teeth bared and he growled.

The omega...and Stiles definitely thought it was an omega now, smelled like hunger and lust...and he wasn't sure which the guy was gonna do. Eat Danny or assault him. The omega looked away from where he was licking the back of Danny's neck. Danny looked a little dazed, sprawled on the gravel, with his cheek starting to swell. He was still trying to rise, to get away.

Blue eyes glowed in the dark at Stiles, teeth bared. Stiles moved forward, baring his own teeth. Moving closer and closer. “I'll kill him.”

Stiles snarled at the threat...then stopped when he smelled blood...Danny's blood...and something else. Magic! The omega seemed confused at the unfamiliar smell and his eyes flicked down to Danny.

Stiles lunged and had the omega's throat in his jaws before Danny could scream in terror. He twisted and snapped the other wolf's neck and dropped the body. He'd have to rip it in half later. He couldn't leave that much blood on school grounds.

A choked sob caught his attention and drew his eyes to Danny. A terrified Danny who was sitting up now and fastening his jeans. Shit. Stiles took a step forward, and Danny flinched, his heart beating faster. So Stiles dropped to his belly and whined, head on his paws and waited until Danny's heart slowed down a little and his breathing calmed.

When it did he crawled on his belly toward Danny, who still flinched, but didn't move away. He crawled all the way to Danny, whined again, and put his head on Danny's thigh.

For a long moment Danny didn't move...then a trembling hand reached out to pet his head...scratch behind his ears. There was another broken sob and then Danny was curled up around him, hands fisted in his fur. Stiles licked away the tears and let Danny finish before he stood and shook himself.

“You're not a normal dog...are you?” 

At the question Stiles moved his head from side to side...then...he made a decision and shifted back. He crouched to hide his nakedness, not wanting to make Danny uncomfortable after his close call. “How bad are you hurt?”

Danny stared open mouthed. “Stiles?”

“Yep.”

“What are you?”

“Werewolf.”

Danny swallowed and his eyes moved toward the corpse. “What was he?”

Stiles frowned at the dead omega. “Werewolf, a feral Omega.”

“Omega?”

“Packless. It happens. A wolf goes bad, starts breaking the rules...they get kicked out of their pack. Then they go feral. Usually they start with raiding cemeteries for the newly dead before they go to live victims. Not this guy though.”

“Did you kick him out?”

“No. He showed up in Beacon County a few days ago. I've been tracking him, this was the first act of violence he showed...How bad are you hurt Danny?”

“He didn't...get that far.”

“You sure? I smelled blood.” Danny frowned...then held out his hands. Each palm held a row of bloody nail marks. “Ouch.”

Danny nodded. “What do we do now?”

“Did you drive here?”

“No. Jackson dropped me off...I was meeting someone here.”

Stiles pointed to the body. “This guy?”

“No...Guess I got stood up.”

“Guy's an idiot, you have your phone?”

“Yeah, of course.”

“Awesome, mind if I use it? I obviously don't have mine.”

“Who are you going to call?”

Stiles blinked. “You really want to know?”

Danny nodded. “Just before you killed him...he paused or something...over me. What was he looking at?”

“You. Your scent changed.”

“How? What?”

Stiles shrugged. “You smelled like magic, just for a second. It surprised us both...I just took advantage of the situation.”

Danny was quiet for a moment and dug his phone out of his pocket before handing it to Stiles. “Thanks...for saving me.”

“You're welcome Danny.”

“Calling your dad?”

“Nope, I don't ask for his help when I have a body to get rid of.”

“You're joking.”

“Nope. This guy wasn't the first omega to stop in Beacon Hills for a bite.” Stiles smiled as he punched in Gran's number. “I'm glad you're okay Danny.”

Gran answered. “Hello?”

“Hey. I need a hand at the high school; I caught up with that omega.”

“You okay? Any causalities?”

“I'm fine, and I've got a body here...and Danny had a close call. He's a little shaken up.”

“He's okay?”

“Nothing like what you're thinking.”

“I'm on my way; do I need to come alone?”

“Why? You're just picking up Danny and a dog.”

“No clothes huh...Be there soon.” She hung up and Stiles handed Danny his phone.

“Now what?”

“We wait for our ride, and then we take you home.”

“That's it?”

“Yeah.”

Danny frowned. “But I know.”

“About?”

“You.”

“So does my dad, my grandma, Scott, Dad's girlfriend, and her daughter. Then there's Gwen and Rufus...”

“Why so many?”

“They're my pack... almost all of them are human...and Rufus isn't actually pack. He's pack friendly though...and sort of dating Gran.”

“Is that normal, for a pack? To have so many humans I mean.”

“Not really...but I've only given the bite to Jo and Gwen. Jo because she was dying...and Gwen wanted the bite.”

“Huh. So why haven't you made more?” Danny was getting more and more relaxed so Stiles took it for a good sign.

“Because I'm a teenager and I didn't have a need to expand my pack before.”

“But you do now?”

“The world is getting more dangerous...a stronger pack means safety...but Danny you can't tell anyone about any of this.”

“So why are you just letting me go?”

“Uh… because you're a good guy and not a douche who would give away someone’s secret on purpose. You just gotta be careful about giving away information on accident and stuff.”

Danny grinned. “No one would believe me anyway I guess.”

Stiles didn't return the grin. “Someone might and that would be bad Danny.”

He nodded. “Yeah, I get it.”

Stiles snorted. “No Danny you don't. There are Werewolves...and Hunters. Sometimes hunters legit take out the bad wolves. Sometimes the hunters are the monsters you have to watch out for.”

“What do they do?”

Stiles grimaced. “I know about two packs that were pretty much wiped out. My mom's pack, the one she grew up in ... and the Hales.”

Danny's widened. “The Hales were werewolves?”

“Not all of them. A few were human, Mr. Hale...and the youngest kid, maybe some of the cousins.”

“Jesus.”

“Yeah.”

Danny bit his lip and then asked, “Do you need help?”

Stiles hid his eagerness, kept his face calm, “With what?”

“With anything?”

He tilted his head a bit and eyed Danny seriously, “You offering Danny?”

“...Yeah. Maybe we can explore the magic angle?”

“I guess we could...do you want to know what an Emissary is?”

“Maybe...why?”

Stiles grinned and flashed his eyes at Danny. “Because I need one.”

To his credit, Danny didn't flinch. “Tell me.”

xxx

Gran pulled up behind the bleachers, lights off and put her car in park. She got out, duffel in hand and tossed it to Stiles. “Did the omega actually get around to raiding any graves?”

“Nope, it bypassed all the fresh bodies and went straight to attacking Danny.”

She made a worried face and looked at the other boy while Stiles got dressed. “You okay Danny?”

“Yes ma'am, Mrs. Stilinski.”

Gran looked at Stiles who shrugged. “Told him a bunch of stuff...how do you feel about training an Emissary?”

She snorted and then gave them both a smile. “That's fitting.”

Danny and Stiles shared a look before Stiles pulled a shirt on. “What is Gran?”

“Mahealani is Hawaiian for Heavenly Moonlight.”

Stiles poked his head through his shirt and stared at her; then stared at Danny, “Dude.”

“It’s not like it’s a secret...though I don't know how she knew that. Ma'am.”

“Call me Harriet...or Gran; whichever works for you. We can hammer out the details of your training later. Right now you're going to get your first lesson in body disposal.”

Danny swallowed and paled a bit. “Okay.”

Stiles stood, finally dressed, and Gran opened the trunk of her car and pulled out a tarp. “Come help me spread this out Danny.” They got the tarp laid out, the body on it, and rolled it up tight. They tied it up before Stiles lifted it and sat it in the trunk. She nodded at a job done well and quickly. “Good thing you only broke his neck.”

Danny was looking a little green and Stiles patted the taller boy on the back. “It gets easier...just wait until you start weapons training...or the girls...excuse me...women teach you how to get out of rope and handcuffs.”

Danny frowned down at him. “That doesn't sound like magic training.”

“It’s more like keep you alive training...” Stiles smiled at him. “You can still back out Danny.”

Danny shook his head. “No. I don't ever want to be that vulnerable again.”

“Okay. Let’s go do some dismembering and then we'll salt and burn.”

“You'll explain why you have to do that right?”

“Yep.”

Suddenly Danny's eyes were very focused on the closed trunk. “Hey...did he have any ID?”

Stiles blinked and followed his gaze toward the trunk. “Why?”

“I could track him down online with some ID. Figure out where he's been. You said he could have been a scout for another alpha...”

Stiles stared at him, Gran looked impressed as well. “You can do that?”

He nodded at her. “I might have a few skills...and a record because your dad busted me for hacking.”

Stiles stared at him a moment longer before looking at Harriet. “We're keeping him.”

“You're the Alpha.”

“And you're the Elder; I always appreciate your input.”

She smirked and focused on Danny. “You don't need a lesson in dismembering. Emissaries aren't required to know body disposal. You can stand back while Stiles does that.”

“I'll just watch from a distance then.”

xxx

Much later, after the body disposal which was messy and gross and Danny nearly threw up when Stiles ripped the omega in half, they were camped out in Gran's house. Danny had called his parents, telling them he was at a friend's for the night since his date stood him up. Jackson needed no explanation as he was leaving on vacation in the morning. 

They'd picked up Scott on the way to Gran's and given their acquaintance turned pack a tour of the house. Danny had drooled at Gran's computer set up, all her lines were secure and encrypted and protected by magic and Danny couldn't wait to do a search for the omega's history or any kind of search really. They'd kept his ID and wallet and planned to start investigating him the next day. For now though they were in the living room, keeping sort of quiet so as not to disturb Jo and Peter.

“We've totally got you hooked don't we?” Stiles asked.

“Are you kidding? I'd marry into your family for full access to all this.” He blushed. “Not that you're hard to look at...you're...”

“Whoa dude, we're giving you access. No need for any proposals.”

Scott grinned. “And since your pack now we can totally prank the guy who stood you up.”

Danny grinned, blush gone. “Sounds good...you sure you don't want any thanks?” His gaze went from Stiles to Scott and it was appreciative.

“Danny you're hot and it’s tempting, but having you here - as an Emissary-in-training and a member of the pack is all I want.” This time Stiles blushed. “Besides...I kinda have someone...a mate.”

Scott blinked and then smacked him with a sofa pillow, “Since when?”

Stiles batted the pillow away. “Remember when my mom died and I was out of school like a week after the funeral?”

“Yeah. Second grade was a bad year for us.”

“Well...when she died her alpha power passed to me. And after the funeral I kinda shut down. I went into my full wolf form for the first time and wouldn't change back...also I was new to it and didn't really know how to. So Dad had Talia Hale, Alpha of the Hale Pack, come get me. She and Mom were friends and allies.”

“So she helped you?” Danny asked.

“Sort of. Derek, her oldest son, was fourteen and his girlfriend had just died. So we were both mourning and Talia handed me over to him and he took care of me. And that week...I might have sort of put my claim on him...as my mate.”

Scott blinked at him. “Dude you were eight.”

“I know! But the moment we met...he felt like...he fit.” Stiles shrugged. “So we were going to wait until I was older...and none of the Hales knew my identity except Talia and her husband.”

Danny frowned. “Why?”

“I was a little kid alpha...easy pickings. Any beta or omega that found me could have killed me and become an alpha.”

“Someone would really do that?”

“Yeah...I had to kill an alpha sorta recently. And back in the ‘90s he attacked and bit a high school kid. And aside from attacking someone, which is bad all on its own, turning someone without their consent is not cool.”

Scott shuddered. “That is still so creepy; I mean that guy was in our classroom!”

“Who?”

Scott shuddered again and looked at Danny, a little sick. “That substitute? Dunleavy?”

“Really? That's...he did seem kinda creepy.”

Scott nodded and looked back at Stiles. “So...Derek doesn't know who you are...or even your name?”

“Nope, Talia introduced me as Little Alpha.” They both snorted. “Derek called me LA.”

“Do you know what he looks like now?” Danny asked.

Stiles nodded and pulled out the photo Gabriel had given him. “Yeah, a friend sent me a picture. He's filled out a lot since I last saw him.”

Danny and Scott stared at the picture and Danny whistled. “Damn Stiles.”

“How is he going to know it’s you when you're old enough?”

Stiles closed his eyes and breathed in, “By scent. I doubt the sound of my heartbeat has changed much either.”

Danny handed the picture back. “So...what happened with the Hales? You said hunters took them out.”

“Yeah...now you get a lesson in all the monsters and all the hunters.”

“Why?”

Scott grinned. “Some hunters are friendly, on our side, and dating the sheriff.”

Stiles nodded. “Some hunters say yes to the bite and join packs. Some hunters are family.”

Danny looked from one to the other. “Is any of this written down...or on a computer?”

“We'll show you the library later...none of it has been digitized yet.”

Danny grinned. “Sounds like a project for me.”

“One step at a time. What are you doing this weekend?”

“I'm thinking I'm going to be here, for whatever lessons you guys have.”

Stiles grinned, his eyes red, and a feeling of satisfaction filled him. “Cool.” Then a thought entered his head. “I might have a special project that will need your attention.”

“What kind of special project?”

“The hunter that arranged the Hale fire and murders is in prison...but not for that...she's in for taking advantage of Derek when he was our age.”

“Damn.”

He nodded. “So what I need is to track down the men she hired to actually set the fire...and I think the Arson Investigator was paid off.”

Danny looked more intrigued. “Do you know who he is?”

“Yep.”

“Who?” Scott asked.

“Your old bus driver, back when you still lived with your dad.”

“Him? Really?”

“Yep. I just don't have the skills needed to find the money trail. You up for it Danny?”

Danny nodded. “Just give me a name.”

“Alright, we'll get started this weekend. For now, we just talk about Hunters.”

XXX

Special Note from my beta: Danny's name can also be heavenly haze or hazy sky just in case anyone tries ‘but its fanon and not fact!’ quibbling since I’ve seen this pointed out on some Meta and cropped up in a few fanfics recently. It also means the Night of the Full Moon in the ancient Hawaiian calendar.


	3. Scattered Pieces

One by One  
Scattered Pieces

calikocat  
Word count: 7279

XXX

Stiles hated this. Completely hated it, but he didn't really have a choice. No one knew what to expect and frankly...Deaton was the _only_ werewolf biology expert they knew. Locally anyway. Deaton was the best they had; even he was in the dark because Jo's situation was unique.

It was making the beginning of summer vacation interesting anyway. Never in his life had he expected to be sitting in a vet examination room holding a woman's hand while the vet did an ultrasound on her to check on her pup. And that right there was a small favor, there was only one. Pup that is. Jo was having one baby, not two like Merton had his first time.

There wasn't much to see yet, as early in the pregnancy as she was, but there was _something_ on the screen. Danny, on Jo's other side, seemed as skeptical as Stiles.

“Everything looks in order.”

“No wings?” Jo asked, trying to joke.

Deaton smiled and shook his head. “No wings, though to my understanding humans simply cannot perceive an angel's true form, including the wings.”

“Is it a boy or girl?” Danny asked; then ducked his head. “Um, unless you want to be surprised?”

Jo shook her head. “I've had enough surprises.”

“Unfortunately it’s too early to tell.” Deaton turned off the equipment and started to clean the gel from Jo's stomach. Danny, however, took over the chore; taking the paper towels from Deaton's hand. Deaton nodded in approval. “I applaud your choice in Emissary, Alpha Kolton.”

“Stilinski.”

“Still keeping that part under wraps?”

“Yeah. My pack isn't big enough to take on a lot of challengers...or take in a bunch of wolves who just want to be part of the Kolton Pack. So, it’s Stilinski or the Beacon County Pack. Try to remember that.”

“Of course.”

“I really don't like you.”

Deaton kept up his smile. “So you've said on numerous occasions.”

“And I'll keep saying it.”

“Stiles,” Jo huffed and pulled her shirt down once Danny had finished cleaning her up. “Be nice. I can't go to the hospital for checkups.”

Deaton nodded. “Indeed you can't. Let’s schedule for three weeks from now, how does that sound?”

“Sounds good.”

Stiles helped her off the examination table. “Any idea when the bundle of joy will be due?”

“February, I don't have an exact date.”

“Any advice?” Jo asked.

“Follow your body's hints. When you crave meat, eat meat. Caffeine won't affect you as much, being a werewolf, but you may want to cut back on it...I will see about getting you some werewolf friendly vitamins.”

“You can do that?” Danny's eyes were wide.

“Emissaries aren't just magical advisers...they're also healers, doctors.”

“Gil of the Pleasantville Pack is a midwife, not an Emissary...”

“True, but the Pleasantville Pack doesn't fit into any box.”

Jo snorted. “You're not wrong.”

Danny led Jo out to the jeep and Stiles handed Deaton some cash. “What's this?”

“Running the equipment costs money, I'm not strapped for cash...”

“Your grandmother? Or your inheritance from your mother's pack?”

Stiles raised a brow. “None of your business which. The point is I won't be in debt to you.”

“You have to trust someone Alpha Stilinski.”

“I have plenty of people who I trust. You're just not one of them.”

Deaton sighed and accepted the payment. “I'll call you when I have the vitamins for Ms Harvelle.”

“Sure.” Stiles didn't look back as he exited the room...but Deaton called out to him.

“How is Peter?”

He stopped but didn't look at Deaton. “Better.”

“Has he gone into heat?”

_Heat?_ Stiles turned and looked back then; because he couldn't not do so. “Heat?”

“Well yes, Peter is an Epsilon.”

He simply blinked at Deaton. “Which means what?”

Deaton stared at him, as if trying to figure out if Stiles was joking. “Surely you know. You're a born wolf.”

“Know what?”

“Stiles...werewolves have a third gender that is intersexed. Peter is one such individual. He has a heat cycle...and really if his body was recovered enough to experience such an event it may explain why his nurse was molesting him.”

“Intersexed...like...having a uterus and ovaries but no birth canal?”

“Exactly.”

“How would that even work?”

“Science can't explain everything. I suppose though you could say that like birds epsilons have an opening with multiple functions.”

Stiles stared at him for a moment as that sunk in. Oh. _Oh!_ “So...if Peter's nurse had been a guy...Peter could have ended up pregnant?”

“Well...if his body wasn't still recovering from trauma yes.”

“Jesus.”

“You really didn't know?”

Stiles scoffed. “Deaton. My mom died when I was nine. My werewolf mentor died when I was eleven. This seems to be a well guarded secret because Gran never told me...how exactly was I supposed to know something like that?”

“Ah...I see your point. You might want to do a little research then, since Peter is still in your care.” He was quiet for just a moment before adding. “And you may end up with other epsilons in your pack in the future.”

“Sure...thanks. For telling me.”

“Of course.”

“I still don't like you.”

Deaton laughed and Stiles left the building. Danny and Jo were waiting patiently in the Jeep, both in the backseat where they could cuddle. It was amazing how readily Danny adjusted to the pack cuddling, but then being Jackson Whittmore's best friend probably wasn't the most cuddle friendly zone and probably left him a little touch starved.

“What took so long?” Danny asked.

“Life changing information...Jo... Have you ever heard of an epsilon?”

“Yeah. Gil is one.”

“Oh.”

She frowned and leaned forward. “You didn't know?”

“I'm a wolf raised mostly by humans who don't know all the secret wolfy stuff...apparently Peter is one...so we'll need to keep an eye on him in case his body is healed enough for him to go into heat.”

Danny blinked in disbelief. “Heat? Really?”

Stiles nodded. “Yeah, apparently.”

“You should call Gil.” Jo told him. “He can tell you everything you need to know.”

Stiles nodded and started the Jeep so he could drive them back to Gran's...his mind however was occupied with other things. Like Derek. Pregnant. Laura had asked him specifically if he was ready to be Derek's Alpha...and then Deaton had been his mysterious self...was that what they meant? Was that possible? He had no idea...but the idea filled him with...warmth. Happy warmth. Something he hadn't felt in a long time. Not since the time his world fell apart when he was a kid.

“What can you tell me about it?” He asked.

Jo was quiet for a moment, as if thinking, “Gil goes into heat once or twice a year I think. He has a son, but doesn't know where he is. When hunters attacked the Syndicate Gil made sure the baby was with the father and that they got away.”

“Damn.”

Danny let out a nervous laugh. “So male pregnancy is a thing?”

Stiles nodded. “Merton has had three.”

She shook her head. “Merton's situation is different. His biology was altered when an Alien used him to incubate her baby.” Jo hesitated. “When an Epsilon gives birth they take full wolf form, as a female. The baby is born as a pup and after the first nursing both change back to their human forms.”

“Huh...so that's the only time they can take a wolf form like an alpha?”

“Yeah...Stiles, Epsilons are the best kept secret of our kind. They're not written about anywhere.”

“Got it. Just glad I know now.”

“This has got to be the trippiest conversation I've ever witnessed.” Danny muttered.

“You and me both dude.”

xxx

Summer got...interesting after that. For starters Vince dropped Becka, Adam, and their daughter, MaryKate, off for a few days to visit. Gran was beside herself with glee with a baby around for just a little while.

The real surprise, however, happened when Becka sat beside Peter on the sofa in the living room where Gwen had placed him that morning. Becka introduced Peter to MaryKate and held his hand while she talked to him. As she talked...Stiles watched in fascination...because Peter...responded. He turned his head to look at her, blinked as she talked, and gave the barest of nods. She'd healed him a little.

“Holy crap Peter,” Stiles gasped. Peter gave him the barest twist of his lips...the best attempt of a smile that he could manage. “I bet you could have healed a lot faster if Laura had stayed...or taken you with her.” He frowned. “When she shows up to test me I'm going to kick her ass.” Peter managed to wink at him. “You're welcome.”

Becka and Adam only stayed for a couple of days, but Peter improved so much that Stiles was sad to see them go. Even though healing him as much as she had did exhaust Becka to the point of unconsciousness. All too soon Vince was picking them up to visit the guys in South Dakota.

 

Then Stiles gave Danny his first tour of Gran's bunker. Danny stared at everything. The kitchen, the sitting area, the bedrooms and... the library.

“This is amazing.”

Stiles nodded. “I'll show you the second exit; it opens out just inside the woods.”

“Quick getaway if things go bad?”

“Yep.”

“Who built all this?”

“Gran won't talk about it much...but her and Gramps.”

“What was he like?”

Stiles shrugged and led Danny to the hidden exit. “Don't know, never got to meet him.”

“Sorry man. When did he die?”

“Before my parents got married...Hunters killed him.”

Danny stopped and put a hand on Stiles' shoulder. “But...he was human.”

“Gramps was a Man of Letters...once upon a time they worked with hunters, gave them Intel. Then hunters got too brutal, slaughtering creatures that were peaceful.”

“Like your kind...well...we're pack now, so our kind?”

“Yeah. So the MOL cut ties with them...some hunters were okay with that...others weren't. Gramps was captured and tortured...but he never gave it up.

“Gave what up?”

“You're impressed with this bunker right?”

“Yeah.”

“Well, the MOL headquarters is like ten times cooler than this and currently lost because no one knows where it is...and the guy who has the key to it...has been missing for decades.”

“Who?”

“Henry Winchester. Gran's brother...and Adam's grandpa...Henry has been missing since his son John was a kid. No one knows what happened to him.”

“But some hunters are alright.”

“Yeah. Jo and her mom. Gwen and Rufus. Sam and Dean... Adam's brothers.”

“And all of them are family.”

“Yeah.”

“Cool...gonna show me that exit and then some training?”

“Sounds good.”

xxx

An old clunker rolled up less than a month later, Bobby Singer at the wheel with Dean and Sam along for the ride. Stiles was again surprised, pleasantly so, when Bobby shook his hand and then hugged him. “Thank you, for taking care of Ellie.”

“Er...Gran took care of most of it.”

“Yeah, but you were gonna give her a safe place to hide before...well...thanks for that.”

“Sure. I guess you guys are here to see Jo?”

Dean frowned. “Is she okay?”

Stiles looked at him closely. “Did anyone in Pleasantville tell you what was going on?”

“Yeah.” Dean nodded. “How is she doin'?”

“Okay. She’s taking special wolfy vitamins, eating lots of red meat, and sleeping a lot. She's not showing yet.”

“She here?”

“Upstairs with Peter.”

“That's the wolf that got messed up by hunters in that fire?” Dean asked.

“Yeah. Jo has practically moved into his room, she sleeps in there a lot. Unless we're all here, then we all sleep in the living room, Peter included.”

“Pack pile huh?” Sam asked. “Merton and Tommy's kids are big on those.”

“They're the best thing ever.”

 

They stayed longer than Adam and Becka had, a week even. Dean stayed mostly glued to Jo's side, even when that meant cuddling with her _and_ Peter. Stiles watched in shock the first time Dean picked Peter up to put him on the couch, carrying him downstairs...Jo grumbling behind him that she was perfectly capable of carrying Peter.

Peter's eyes had shined in amusement; and his smile was a little more prominent than it had been recently.

 

There were shooting lessons. Tracking lessons, Bobby was one of the best trackers Stiles had ever met, and the guy could take out a target, aiming with sound and not sight. Stiles was more than a little in awe of the guy.

They didn't talk about it, but there was something going on with them...Stiles assumed the wall in Sam's mind wasn't holding up the way everyone hoped it would. Still they managed to have spent a lot of quality moments with Jo, Ellen, Gwen, and Rufus, before the trio headed back to South Dakota. Mostly with Dean's excuse of wanting to get back to fixing the Impala.

No one said anything when Jo and Dean disappeared for a few hours for a private goodbye.

xxx

The day Jackson came back from vacation was interesting. When he didn't find Danny at home he did some checking around and tracked his best friend to Gran's house. Needless to say the guy was pissed when he got there...though he hid it from Gran when she answered the door and let him in the house.

Stiles, however, could smell the fury and disgust that came off the other boy when Gran led him into her workroom where Danny was working on her computers...not working on the computers themselves, but tracking down the omega that had attacked him.

When Gran left them alone to get back to lunch Jackson grabbed Stiles by his shirt collar and lifted him up. “I don't know what you're doing Stilinski, but it stops now-”

Stiles placed his hand on Jackson's fist and squeezed until Jackson made a sound of distress and pain before letting go. “Stop, Jackson. Things changed while you were gone...what didn't change...is your friendship with Danny. Now. I'm going to let you go, you're going to sit down and hang out with us. Stay for lunch if you want.”

He let go of Jackson's hand and he shook it, glaring at Stiles. “What the hell Stilinski?”

Danny made an exasperated sound. “Just hang on Jackson, I'm almost done.”

Stiles gestured to Danny at his Gran's set up. “Danny is tracking the ID of a guy who almost raped him. That night you dropped him off? His date stood him up...and some guy jumped him.”

Jackson stared at Danny, his scent changed from anger to fear. “Danny?”

“I'm okay. Stiles saved me...” Danny flicked his eyes to Stiles. “I trust him...if you wanna let him in.”

Stiles frowned and shook his head. “Guy is an asshole, I'm not gonna risk people's lives by trusting him.”

Danny looked back to the screens. “Jackson and I are a package deal. You want me? You take him too.”

Stiles glared at Danny before turning the same look on Jackson, who took a step back when confronted with glowing red eyes. “What the hell?”

“I don't know Danny...all he's ever done is made everyone around him miserable. I really don't need that in my pack.”

“He's my best friend Stiles.”

“Danny?”

Danny shot Jackson a reassuring grin. “Stiles is a werewolf...I've joined his pack as his Emissary and hacker. I owe him.”

“What the hell do you owe Stilinski?”

“He took care of the guy that was going to rape and kill me.”

Jackson froze for a moment, and then made his way to Danny to put his hands on the other boy's shoulders, “Danny?”

“I'm okay. It didn't happen. Stiles was on patrol and snapped the guy's neck with his jaws.”

Jackson gave Stiles wide eyes. “How?”

Stiles rolled his eyes and stripped, making Jackson's eyes bug out just a bit more, and shifted completely. Danny nodded. “With those very jaws.”

“Holy shit.”

Stiles wagged his tail, and then came to attention when Jo dashed from the kitchen down the hall to the bathroom and started throwing up. He followed her and crowded into the small space to lie beside her where she was curled around the toilet. Jackson had followed and was staring while Danny was behind him.

“Jo? Do you need anything?”

She growled and flashed gold eyes. “I need this morning sickness to stop lasting until dinner time.”

“Deaton gave me some tea that should help.”

She nodded. “Thanks Danny.”

Danny nodded and gave Jackson a push. “Help her to the living room Jackson.”

Jackson didn't argue and helped Jo to her feet to the sink where she rinsed her mouth and drank a little water. Then she leaned heavily on him as he led her back down the hall. Stiles followed worriedly behind, claws clicking on the hardwood floor. Jackson helped her settle on the couch, and he even grabbed a throw from a nearby chair and tucked it around her.

“Thanks...Jackson right?”

He nodded. “Nice to meet you.”

She gave him a tired smile. “Danny's talked about you. You staying for lunch?”

“I don't know.”

“Someone should enjoy Harriet's cooking, I won't be able to for at least an hour.”

Jackson stared, then looked over to Stiles who had shifted back and redressed. “You tell me everything, or I'll-”

“You'll what Jackson?”

“You don't want people to know right? That you're-”

“Jackson...I'm going to tell you this once. There are Werewolves and there are Werewolf Hunters. My mom is dead because of hunters; her entire pack was wiped out because of hunters. Most of the Hales are dead because of hunters. I've never killed anyone who didn't deserve to die...and I've never killed a human. You can't tell anyone about us...because some hunters don't care who they kill when it comes to wiping out packs. They go after the humans too. That includes my dad, Gran, Scott, Jo's mom...and Danny. No threats dude, unless you want your best friend's blood on your conscience.”

Jackson swallowed. “Fine. But you're telling me everything.”

Danny snorted as he came back into the room with a cup of tea and handed it to Jo. “You can't tell the Alpha what to do Jackson. Stiles is the boss, he's my boss, so stop being an ass.”

“You'd really be in danger?”

“Dude yes, this shit is serious. Stiles, come see what I found.”

Stiles and Jackson followed him to the computers. “What is it?”

“I think the guy who attacked me was sent.”

Stiles frowned. “So he was doing recon.”

“Yeah, look. Before he showed up here, he was up in Oregon, I tracked his movements from the receipts he had in his wallet. Most were paid in cash, but one was paid by a credit card...and not his.”

Stiles looked at the information and frowned. “I don't recognize the name...hang on.” He pulled out his phone and called Tommy...his voice came over the speaker a moment later.

“Stiles?”

“Is there a pack in Oregon just over the state line that might be a bit unscrupulous?”

“Yeah... Why?”

“They may have sent the omega that attacked Danny.”

“Want me to look into it?”

“Discreetly...we have a receipt with the name Aaron O'Reilly...you know I'll owe you for this.”

“You don't owe me Stiles, our packs are allies, there's no debt between us.”

“I appreciate that Tommy...keep me posted?”

“Sure.” Tommy hung up and Stiles put his phone away.

“We'll know soon enough. Pretty much every pack in the country respects Alpha Dawkins.”

“Why would a packless wolf come here for a pack?” Danny asked.

Stiles frowned. “An omega is someone they wouldn't miss...could be he was trying to join the pack and they sent him on a suicide mission without telling him it was a suicide mission.”

Danny started to shake a little, but calmed when Jackson gripped his shoulders tight again. “He was going to kill me, and they just let him come.”

“Yeah its messed up...and another alpha got me to do his dirty work...kill an omega that needed to be put down. It’s something I won't forget.”

Danny shuddered once more and shut down the system. “That's horrible.”

“I know...why don't you guys go in the kitchen...lunch smells ready and I need to bring Peter down.”

“Sure. Come on Jackson.”

Jackson let Danny lead him out as he asked. “Who's Peter?”

“I'll explain later...please just don't be an ass.”

Jackson was quiet after that and Stiles looked at Jo still on the couch sipping her tea. “Want Peter in here with you?”

“Yeah, my stomach has calmed enough I can help him eat, even if I can't yet.”

“Okay.” 

xxx

With the body count starting to really climb up the boys and Bobby decided to do something. Gabriel had made a comment that made them think, something about how Death was the only one who could put up a true wall in Sam's mind. So...to stop Cas they decided to call on Death.

Dean got a few recipes from Merton, since the guy seemed to like his cookies before. Gingersnaps this time instead of chocolate chip, but that was only the first step. They still needed a way to contact Death without Dean having to die again. So they turned to Crowley.

Crowley who thought they were bloody out of their mind and refused to conspire with them for fear Cas would find out. “I'm not doing it. You can keep me here and torture me all you like, but eventually my new boss will realize I'm not at my post and he just might decide to track me down. And guess what boys, angel wards don't work on him anymore. There is no hiding.”

Dean looked grim. “So that's it? You're okay with Cas running the show?”

“It’s better than being wiped out of existence.”

Bobby sighed and eyed Crowley. “There's not a thing we could do to convince you to help?”

Crowley smiled just a bit. “Well...I suppose it wouldn't hurt to listen.”

“Okay.” Sam said. “We need a spell.”

“For?”

“To bind Death.”

Crowley scoffed. “You might as well kill me now with that pig sticker or your Colt then.”

Sam looked insulted. “Lucifer did it.”

“None of us are archangels.”

“A spells a spell Crowley.”

“Absolutely not!”

Bobby stepped closer to the devil's trap. “You really want it like this? Cas running off and doing whatever he wants? Bossing everyone around? Tipping the scales?”

Crowley huffed. “This is insanity...fine. But not for free.”

Dean frowned. “You're not exactly in a position to negotiate, and you're not getting anyone's soul.”

The King of Hell sneered at Dean. “Didn't say I wanted anyone's soul now did I?”

“What do you want then?” Sam asked.

“A kiss.” Dean and Sam stared at Crowley and then eyed one another before moving their hands into position...they were going to decide by rock paper scissors. Crowley rolled his eyes, “Not from you, morons.”

Bobby sighed. “Just a kiss?”

“Well...I'd suggest dinner and a show. After we save the world, of course; need to keep laying low for now after all.”

“Sounds reasonable.”

“Bobby!” “Are you nuts?” Both boys looked...well traumatized at the thought.

“Idgits.”

“So a kiss now and later a date. What do you say Robert?”

Bobby nodded, “Agreed.” He stepped into the Devil's Trap, tipped Crowley's head up just a bit by his chin, and slanted his mouth across the demon's lips.

It was more than just the press of lips that their first kiss had been. That had been out of necessity. This one, however, Bobby wanted; it was probably a bad idea, Crowley being the King of Hell. But you couldn't really control who you were attracted to, and there was something about Crowley. Something unique. He just couldn't put his finger on it.

Crowley's lips parted under his and an eager tongue ran along them. Bobby opened his mouth and drew a breath of surprise from Crowley, tangling his own tongue into the kiss for a long moment. When he drew away Crowley's eyes were wide, his cheeks were flushed, and he was breathing harder than he had been.

“Well.”

“Hold up your end Crowley. You don't get any more until this is taken care of.” Crowley swallowed and nodded, Bobby scuffed out the edge of the trap with his shoe. Crowley was gone without another word. “Well, better make sure the car is packed, I'm sure we'll have some miles to go once we have what we need.” Dean and Sam were just staring at him. “Boys?”

Sam was the first to find his voice. “I can't believe you just kissed Crowley.”

“It wasn't the first time.”

“But-a date? With Crowley? Really?” Dean seemed unable to make sense of it.

“It’s a small price Dean. A little of my time doesn't compare to my soul. We're gettin' off easy.”

“I think getting off is exactly what Crowley has in mind.” Sam grumbled.

“Well that would be my business, now wouldn't it?”

“Oh dude, Bobby...” Dean shuddered. “Now I have an image in my head...ugh.”

“Idgit.”

xxx

They did indeed end up doing some driving after a spell was slipped under Bobby's front door a couple of days later. Fulgurite, a crystallized Act of God, which was a nine hour drive to get to the largest one they could find. Unfortunately they had to tie up the owners in their den, or rather Dean had them tied up, when Bobby and Sam caught up to him.

The ritual was rather simple. Bobby smashed up the fulgurite and added it to the mix before he started the incantation. There was a bit of an earthquake afterward, big enough that glass shattered all around them and caused the ceiling to crack.

“I don't particularly like chains Dean.”

They turned to face the voice, Death had appeared behind them. Dean grimaced and nodded in apology. “Yeah, sorry about that. You're kind of our last hope...uh...gingersnap? I baked them myself.” He nudged the container of cookies closer to the pale form.

“You think you can bribe me with treats?”

“They're Merton Dingle's recipe.”

Death paused and eyed the cookies before looking back to Dean. “I'll hear you out...but if it’s regarding Sam's hallucinations don't bother. That wall little Gabe put up is an amateur construction, sorry to say it won't last.”

Sam coughed. “No, that's not why we did this.” He winced when Dean and Bobby both glared at him.

Death ignored their byplay, “Then what?”

Dean sighed. “We need you to kill the new god.”

“What new god?”

Bobby huffed. “Cas of course...” Bobby went white as a sheet unable to finish his original sentence. “Hey Cas.”

Dean and Sam whirled to see Cas, looking...not good. “I should have known you wouldn't leave well enough alone. It’s simply not in your nature is it?” He approached Dean. “I did not want this, but you have forced my hand Dean.” He raised his hand, to snap his fingers.

Dean tensed, not that it would do anything...but words would. “You can't do this. You can't kill us Cas.”

“I can Dean. I have no more lingering nostalgia for you.”

“We bound Death...he's ours until we let him go.” He glanced at the black clad being. “Still sorry about that. We panicked.”

Cas paused and looked at Death with a sort of confused look. Death nodded. “Took me by surprise as well.” Then Death tilted his head and looked at Cas in, well, amusement. “The New God? Hardly boys. This little monstrosity is no more than a mangled angel...one who is stretched terribly thin.” He shook his head. “Foolish thing. Your vessel won't last much longer, it’s going to give out, and you’re going to explode. That will kill you.”

“I'm not going to explode. I'll heal myself.”

“Hardly little Angel of Thursday. It’s not just all those Purgatory souls locked up inside you. You swallowed the Leviathan when you overreached.”

“They're nothing. I have them tamed.”

“Nothing can tame those hungry creatures.”

“Whoa, whoa,” Dean held up a hand, hoping no one smacked him down for interrupting. “What's a Leviathan?”

“The first beasts, Dean; they are older than souls, older than angels. God made them first, a prototype gone wrong you might say. When he let them loose he feared they would destroy everything, by eating all that he had created. The Leviathan are the reason he created Purgatory, he needed a place to lock away those clever hungry beasts.” He sighed, as if disappointed in a child, “And now Castiel has them all inside of him...his vessel is the only barrier between this world and them. Stupid little soldier.”

“If he had not wanted this, he could have stopped me at any time. But he didn't, so this was meant to be.” Cas said as he walked closer to Death. “But he is an absent father, one who has no interest in how his children suffer. Otherwise...”

“Well that's not entirely true.” Death smiled just a bit. “I believe after you broke Sam's wall...that God dropped by his mind and had a little talk with him.”

All eyes turned to Sam, who's own were wide in surprise, “I didn't dream that part? God was actually in my head?”

“In the form of Seth Green, he's a bit of a Whedon fan. I, myself, rather appreciate the talents of Ramsay.”

“You expect me to believe he has such trivial pursuits such as keeping up with human entertainment.”

Death only gave him a look. “I believe you're the one who came down to earth and took pleasure in a much more carnal way.”

“Okay that's enough both of you, will you just kill him already?”

Cas turned to Dean, an unreadable look on his face. Death raised his hand. “Gladly.” Cas, however, did something first; he snapped his fingers and the wisp of chains around Death's wrists disappeared. “Thank you.”

Cas was still staring at Dean. “Don't look at me like that Cas. It wasn't just me you hurt, and you can kill me if you want, but promise me you'll never hurt Jo again.” Cas didn't say anything, he just vanished.

“And how is the expectant mother?” Death asked.

Dean huffed. “None of your damn business, and don't ever mention that part around him.”

“Rude.” Death sat in a chair and started to nibble at the cookies. “I suppose you want to know how to stop him?”

“That would be helpful, sir.” Bobby murmured.

“You'll need to open up Purgatory again, get him to put the souls and the Leviathan back.”

“So you'll help us?” Sam asked.

“Only because I'm fond of Merton and his cooking.”

“But we'll need an eclipse.”

Death waved Bobby off and stood, container of cookies in his hands. “I'll make another, have him at that lab 3:59 Sunday morning just before dawn. Last chance boys.” And he was gone, cookies and all. 

xxx

“So if you don't follow my lead you could end up dead and I'll have a lot of explaining to do to Danny.”

“I got it.”

“Not to mention apologizing and groveling.”

“Oh my god Stilinski, I got it already. You're the boss and I need to keep my mouth shut.”

“Now if only you would.” Stiles grumbled, but grinned when he caught sight of Jackson glaring at him in the rear-view mirror.

They were crowded into the Jeep; him, Gran, Gwen, Jackson, and Rufus, on their way to a meeting with the pack from Oregon. The other alpha, the one responsible for the omega that attacked Danny, was coming down to California and crossing the state line to meet them outside of Stiles' territory. Neutral ground.

Stiles had made Danny stay at Gran's with Jo and Peter; the three of them were having a movie night, along with Ellen and his dad. It was a just in case thing, if something happened and the Alpha, Aaron O'Reilly, pulled another stunt and attacked them they would have the bunker to hide in. He didn't think it would come to that though.

How he ended up bringing Jackson along wasn't exactly a mystery. The guy wanted to know what was going on. He wanted firsthand experience at being part of a pack, including the politics. Especially since O'Reilly's last stunt had nearly cost Jackson his best friend.

“Turn here.” Gran told him, looking up from the map she was holding. “The road leads to an old farm house.”

Stiles made the turn, suddenly glad for his Jeep's four wheel drive on the old abandoned road. He was even gladder that the meet was happening during the day because it meant that Jackson would be less jumpy. Maybe.

All too soon they came upon the old farm house, which was in better shape than Stiles had thought it would be. There was one other vehicle in the clearing, a well kept minivan that was empty. The farmhouse, however, was occupied.

Stiles parked and shut off the engine, five people exited the old house. He listened for any other heart beats and found none. They'd kept their word. “We're good...let’s get this over with.”

All five of them climbed out of the jeep and approached the other group, Stiles in the lead, Gran and Gwen flanking him on either side. Stiles nodded at the man who stood in the center of the group, much like Stiles was his. Stiles flashed his eyes and the man flashed red eyes back at him before smirking.

“So the rumors are true. There is a Teen Alpha in Beacon Hills.”

“That's what you wanted to know?” Stiles asked.

The other alpha shrugged, “Pretty much.”

“You're Aaron O'Reilly right?”

“I am.”

“I'd like to file a complaint.”

“Would you now?”

“You sent an omega into my territory, one you knew was too far gone to join any pack.”

“Really? He didn't seem so bad to me. Perhaps it’s your guilt talking, you did kill him didn't you?”

Stiles raised a brow. “He's not the first omega I've had to deal with. The first went from eating the dead to attacking a hospital intern.”

The smirk left O'Reilly's face. “I see. You dealt with him, the situation is over.”

“No, it’s not. You sent a dangerous omega into my territory...he tried to rape and kill my emissary.”

“Your emissary must not be very good.”

“My emissary is my age and still in training. Besides, the omega had a history of violence, even before the bite. He was wanted for rape and assault in three states.”

O'Reilly's pack members turned to look at their alpha in shock, apparently he'd left out that little bit of information. “So what do you want in compensation? Shall I take your emissary out to dinner to apologize?”

“You put everyone in my territory at risk because you were curious, not just my pack, but every person who lives in Beacon County.”

“It sounds like you want to settle this with a challenge.”

“No, I just want you to step down as Alpha of your pack.”

O'Reilly sneered at him...and then rushed him. Stiles was ready and tackled him mid-rush, head-butting him in the gut and sending him to the ground gasping for air. He grabbed O'Reilly up and slammed him to the ground repeatedly, denting the soil beneath him. Then Stiles stood up and kicked the dazed alpha to his pack. It was their move. A challenge had not been declared, O'Reilly had simply attacked him and he'd defended himself.

One of the betas, a woman, stared down at O'Reilly in disgust. “I advised you not to send in a scout, especially not one so untrustworthy. She reached down to snap his neck, and then ripped his body in half.

Somewhere behind him he heard Jackson gag.

The new alpha's eyes glowed red and she nodded at Stiles, wiping blood on her jeans. “I wish to make an alliance with the Beacon County Alpha.”

Stiles snorted. “You might not want to. I'm already allied with Pleasantville.”

“I know that, which is why I can't expect you to be normal, and why I'm not surprised you showed up with only one wolf and three humans.”

Stiles shrugged. “I brought two pack elders to advise me and two betas. It doesn't matter if one of those betas is human. My emissary is his best friend and he wanted to be here.”

Jackson moved forward a bit and the new alpha nodded. “Admirable. I apologize to you both. I was unaware of the omega's history.”

Stiles looked to Jackson. “Jackson?”

Jackson swallowed. “Danny's okay, but maybe a gift from your emissary to ours would set things right.”

She nodded. “I, Beatrice Alderson, Alpha of the Everfalls Pack, will see that it is done.” She held out her hand.

Stiles took her hand. “Then I, Stiles Stilinski, Alpha of the Beacon County Pack, accept your offer of alliance.”

Beatrice smiled. “Stiles Stilinski?”

“Well Stiles is a nickname. I don't give out my first name to anybody...its ridiculous.”

She nodded and moved closer, they touched cheeks to seal the pact and then stepped away from one another.

“Rumor has it you’re a True Alpha like Alpha Dawkins.”

Stiles snorted. “Let me guess, Deucalion?”

“He does like to talk, when he's not killing and causing mayhem.”

“Any idea on why he's making a pack of Alphas?”

Beatrice shook her head. “No, just glad he skipped us.”

“Lucky you. I had to kill an alpha named Dunleavy.”

“The alpha who bit Thomas Dawkins?”

“Yep.”

“Did Talia Hale give you the bite?”

“Nope, I was born, not bitten.”

Beatrice stared at him, a little surprised. “Stiles, how long have you been an alpha?”

“Since my mom died when I was nine.”

Her eyes widened and a few of her betas made choking noises behind her. “You...how old are you?”

“Sixteen.”

“What?”

He shrugged. “I'll be seventeen in October.”

“My God.” Beatrice shook her head. “You've been an alpha all this time?”

Stiles grinned at her. “Best kept secret in Beacon County.”

“So I see. Anything else?”

“I have Hunters in my pack; two of them accepted the bite.” He gestured to Gwen. “And my grandmother is a Woman of Letters.” Harriet nodded to Beatrice. “I'm in touch with other hunters, friends to my pack, and I still keep in touch with the Hales.”

Beatrice frowned at that. “I've heard Laura Hale hasn't been building her pack.”

“She hasn't.”

“Has she challenged you for her family's old territory?”

“Not yet...she should be showing up soon though. You'll stay out of it?”

Beatrice nodded, “Unless you ask for help.”

“I won't, its personal, our mothers were best friends.”

She looked at him closely. “What pack did your mother hail from?”

Stiles grinned and shook his head. “The only pack she had was my dad and myself.”

“Well played.” She reached into a pocket, pulled out a card, “My personal contact information.”

Stiles accepted the card and nodded at Gran. She stepped forward and gave Beatrice a sheet of paper. “You'll find my contact information, my apha's, and our emissary's email address.”

“Thank you.”

Stiles pocketed the card he'd been given. “The apology gift to my emissary should be sent to my grandmother's address. Danny can get it there.”

“Of course. You'll keep in touch Stiles?”

“Yep, we're allied now.” He nodded toward the body of the former Alpha. “Need help with that?”

“No, it’s not my first time disposing of a body.”

They nodded at one another, touched cheeks one more time, and then Stiles led his pack members back to the Jeep and they left. When they were a safe distance away from the old farm house and back on the main road Jackson started to breathe a little too loud and fast.

Stiles pulled over and turned to look in the back seat. Gwen had already helped Jackson put his head between his knees. When the other boy had calmed down she helped him sit back up. “Better?”

He nodded and swallowed before meeting Stiles eyes. “I didn't get it before.”

“And now?” Stiles asked.

“I get it.”

“And?”

“I don't know if I want the bite...but I want to be part of the pack.”

“That's cool dude, you don't have to be a wolf to be pack.”

Jackson nodded and leaned back against the seat. “Think we can catch the rest of movie night with the others?”

“You bet.”

“Then start driving Stilinski.”

Stiles snorted and pulled back onto the road. “You're such a douche.”

Jackson's reflection gave him a weak smile.

xxx

Stiles ended up calling Beatrice much sooner than he thought he would, since they were allied, because he couldn't not tell her. So when he got a call from Dean, telling him not to drink tap water for the next few weeks because Castiel had exploded in a river letting lose all the ancient beasts, Stiles had his hands full. Jo was, once again, devastated and spent an entire afternoon target shooting.

Bobby had already called Merton, but Stiles had to be sure someone had called Laura and Derek and warned them. When Tommy confirmed that they had Stiles left a message for Laura anyway, just in case. Then he called Beatrice and told her about the Leviathan and to avoid drinking potentially contaminated water. That the creatures could take any person’s form and to watch her back. They had no idea what to expect from this new threat.


	4. Lucky Find

One by One  
Lucky Find

calikocat  
Word count: 5925

XXX

The summer passed by quicker than it should have, or so it felt that way. Most of it was spent at either Gran's...or Jackson's. Because apparently a pool was a requirement for summer fun...and Jackson swore that if he had to hang out with Stiles and Scott then Scott was going to have to get better at Lacrosse...

The training the pack had already put Scott through had strengthened his endurance and his lungs so his asthma attacks were becoming few and far between. Still training with Jackson and Danny wasn't easy...but by the time the season started in January Scott would probably be ready. Stiles wasn't going to play. He had too much going on...too much to take care of.

Such as helping Peter get stronger every day. Then there was training Jackson and Danny how to track, how to fight, how to shoot. Not to mention the patrolling, of course.

His busy schedule was a major part in why the summer seemed to fly by, despite the chaos going on all around because of Cas...and then the moment of silence when Cas died and the leviathan escaped.

But that was a whole new thing.

xxx

He saw it every time he closed his eyes to rest. Cas trying so hard to hold back, to keep the Leviathan in. He saw Cas fail every time. Saw him jerk and writhe; and then Cas was gone, killed from the inside. All that was left were the Leviathan and how ever many were in there.

“This is going to be so much fun.” And then that chilling laugh spilling from Cas...not Cas, the Leviathan. It spilled from their lips and made Dean sick inside.

He woke every morning to that laugh in his head. The memory of Cas' body exploding in the river, and setting the ick monsters free. Dean wanted to throw up every time he remembered it, but held back because he had to keep things together. Because Sam...Sam was starting to lose it. And Dean didn't know how to handle that.

xxx

One thing Stiles didn't miss about summer vacation was the waiting. Not waiting for school to start, but waiting for the results of Danny's search. It felt sort of fitting that their emissary and master hacker found the money trail that led from the Arson Investigator to one Kate Argent... And from her he tracked down two men, both with priors for armed robbery and arson.

Dutifully Stiles handed over all the materials to his dad and didn't say a word. Tom merely sighed and commented, “At least you didn't steal one of the scent dogs for this.”

Stiles rolled his eyes, but he made sure to be there when his dad and the deputies brought the men in for questioning. He caught the gaze of each one, putting just a touch of red into his eyes. Not enough to give him away, but just enough to scare them.

The best part though? Once the men admitted to everything, and it didn't take long for his dad to crack them after the stare down Stiles had given them, the new charges filed against Kate Argent. Kate Argent, who would have been up for parole in a few years, well… this time around? She admitted to everything.

When the story hit the local paper Stiles sent a copy to Laura and Derek, just another way of letting Laura know he was ready.

 

The absolute last thing he did before school started was gather his pack at the old Hale house.

 

“Why are we here?” Jackson asked, his hand on Jo's elbow...not that she needed his help. The gesture seemed to be more for his comfort than hers.

“This was Derek's home. This is where his family died.” Stiles stared at the burnt out husk, just another corpse of the past. “This is where Peter became a prisoner in his own body.” He turned to Peter who was safe now in Gwen's arms as she carried him. “I don't know what you're going to want in the future, whether you'll stay here or go to New York. Maybe you'd like the Pleasantville pack, who knows. But I need your opinion. Should I see a contractor about rebuilding?” He gestured toward the house. “Or should I see one about starting over, building a new house?”

Peter stared at the building for a moment, eyes flickering blue as he cleared his throat. “Start over,” His voice was rough and quiet from years of disuse. “I don't want my nephew living in a place so...full of bad memories.” He started to say more but his voice had given out.

“Okay. I'll talk it over with Laura, its Hale land after all.” He nodded to himself. “So, let’s get started.”

His dad and Rufus started laying out the blankets and Gwen helped Peter get situated while Stiles went to get the first basket out of his Jeep. Danny was right behind him, “Can't believe you talked us all into a picnic...at night.”

“Pack bonding.”

“You really gonna have a house built for Derek's wedding present?”

“Pretty much.”

“It’s gonna have its own bunker and escape tunnels isn't it?”

“Hell yeah it is.”

“Paranoid much Stiles?”

“I have reason to be.”

“True...you ready for school?”

Stiles gave him a look. “It’s just sophomore year...nothing special.”

“It might be.”

“What are you up to Danny?”

Danny just smiled...Stiles wondered if he should be worried.

xxx

The first day of school sucked.

First of all, he ended up in Adrian Harris' Chem. class. He'd been hoping for the more agreeable teacher, not the one who seemed to hate everyone but Jackson. The guy even gave Danny a hard time and everyone liked Danny.

He wasn't sure what he'd been thinking; being glad that vacation was over, what a crazy thought. School cut into important things, like researching Leviathan, training his pack, and taking care of his betas. Sure Gwen and Rufus were sticking closer to home these days to help with Jo and Peter. And yeah, Stiles needed to learn to delegate because he couldn't do everything, but dammit... He was responsible for everyone.

Stiles took a deep cleansing breath, and let it out, just as Scott sat across from him at their usual table. “Stiles, dude, relax.”

“I'm trying.”

“Try harder. Danny's bringing friends.”

And that was possibly the weirdest part about being back in school, the change in cliques. Ever since kindergarten he and Scott had been a duo, outside of the usual hierarchy. Now they were apparently part of a clique, mostly because of Danny. And where Danny went, Jackson followed, and along with him came Lydia Martin...at least Greenburg was nowhere in sight.

Danny sat beside Stiles. “Hey.”

“Hey Danny.” Stiles nodded at Jackson as he sat at the end and Lydia sat beside Scott. “Jackson, Lydia.”

Lydia blinked at him, no recognition in her eyes and stared at him for a moment more, before turning to Jackson in question. “Who is this and why is he at our table?”

Jackson flicked his gaze to Stiles worriedly, but Stiles just rolled his eyes. “This is our table, has been since last year. You guys joined us.”

She focused on him, surprised when he met her gaze and didn't back down. “And who are you?”

“Stiles Stilinski.”

“What kind of name is Stiles?”

He grinned. “The one I chose in kindergarten after Jackson made fun of the one my mom gave me.”

Jackson paled. “Dude I don't even remember that...what was it?”

“Oh no, it’s Polish, and hard to pronounce properly, I don't give it out to anyone. Call me Stiles, or Stilinski; I won't answer to anything else.”

He kept his gaze on Lydia, and she kept her gaze on him...finally she smiled. “You're interesting, have a girlfriend?”

“Boyfriend. Currently in New York, and will be coming home soon.”

“So far away? Is he cuter than Danny?”

Danny laughed. “Lyds I've seen a picture of his beau, I can't compete, besides, Stiles is a good friend. He helped me out this summer.”

“Really? How did he do that?”

Danny's smile slipped away. “I was almost raped Lydia. Stiles knocked the guy out.”

Her eyes hardened and moved back to Stiles, reevaluating him suddenly, “Thank you.” Then she looked at Jackson. “And where were you?”

“Not his fault Lyds. He dropped me off to meet my date, my date never showed. Stiles just happened along at the right time.”

“And the guy who tried to hurt you?”

“Gone.” Stiles told her. “He won't be coming back.”

“You're sure.”

“Swear it.”

“Alright. So, what else did I miss while vacationing in Europe?”

“Not a lot. We spent most of our time either at Harriet's or at Jackson's.” Danny told her.

“Harriet?”

Stiles shrugged, “My grandma. Gran’s got a shooting range and some people staying with her that are very good at taking care of themselves. Danny's been getting in some self defense training.” He eyed her, wondering if she was a risk he wanted to take. “Interested?”

“Why would I want to dirty my hands with something like that?” She asked, wiggling her manicured nails at him.

“Everyone should be able to defend themselves, even if they're already a badass.”

Lydia considered his words before nodding. “Thank you for the compliment...but it sounds like you're leaving a lot out. Do you have a good reason for that?”

“More than one.”

“Alright, let me think about it.”

They left it at that and continued on a more normal strand of conversation...mostly why Harris was such a creep but seemed to adore Jackson and just how creepy that sort of behavior was.

xxx

Laura opened the padded envelope and gently tipped the contents onto the kitchen table. She stared for a moment, at the newspaper clippings, in awe of what LA had done. Not only had he tracked down the men responsible for setting the fire, he'd revealed that the Arson Investigator had been paid off to say it was an accident. Kate Argent's connection was finally revealed, and the charges were sticking. Apparently she had finally owned up to everything with a smile.

Laura shuddered, just how crazy was that woman? More so than any Hunter Laura had heard of that was for sure. So engrossed in the clippings was she, that she nearly jumped when the door opened and Derek entered the apartment...he walked a few steps in, paused...and then rushed into the kitchen.

“LA?” His eyes were darting all over the place.

“Just his scent Der...Look what came in the mail.” She handed him the article and he read over it carefully. He grew paler and started to shake a bit and fumbled for one of the chairs and sat heavily in it.

“Everyone will know now.”

“Everyone already knew what she did to you specifically Der.”

“But now-”

“Your alpha did all this. She'll never see the outside of prison, and the men involved will be sentenced. LA did all this for you.”

“You're calling him my alpha? You haven't even tested him yet.”

“But I will, and soon. How was class?”

“I didn't go. I dropped out.”

“Derek!”

He glared at her, eyes flashing blue in defiance. “I'm not staying here. I'll enroll somewhere close to Beacon Hills when I get settled.”

Laura sighed. “Fine...how about a trip to Pleasantville? It might be safer there with this whole Black Ick Levia-whatever going on.” She moved toward the cabinet. “But first you're taking some of those pills Deaton sent to block your heat.”

He blushed a bit as he growled. “I'm not going to go into heat just from catching a whiff of him on a piece of paper.”

“And I'm not taking that risk.”

“Laura the pills are a risk. Deaton said to use them sparingly.”

“And we will, but every time you get near him or even a hint of him your heat hits. If he hadn't started that claim on you when you were kids your heat would have happened on its own and it would come regular.”

“I don't think he knew what he was doing.”

“I know, and I can forgive him for that, especially considering what he'd just gone through. But it would have been so much simpler on you if you'd had a chance to have a normal heat cycle. But that's only going to happen when he finishes his claim on you and the two of you mate.”

“I know...but if LA hadn't started that claim Johnson would have been a much bigger problem.”

She sighed and handed him two pills and a glass of water. “Yes he would have.”

Derek accepted both and downed the pills, Deaton's own concoction, and drank the entire glass. “So Pleasantville huh?”

“Why not? It'll be nice to see everyone again.”

He grinned and handed her the empty glass. “Let me know when to start packing.”

xxx

Stiles was alone in his Jeep after school when he placed a call to Pleasantville. Gil picked up the landline as he usually did. “Dawkins/Dingle residence.”

“Hey Gil.”

“Hello Alpha Stilinski, how may I help you?”

“Well you can call me Stiles and you can put Tommy on.”

“Sure thing, please hold.” A moment later Tommy was on the phone.

“Hey Stiles, heard you made an impression on the Everfalls pack.”

“Yeah, I'm just glad they're under new management and the new Alpha isn't a prick.”

Tommy snorted. “Beatrice mentioned that...they suspected he was going off the deep end, but didn't have any real proof...and just going after the alpha without a reason can land a beta in hot water.”

“So do alphas just go crazy at some point?”

“You know Deucalion is still recruiting.”

Stiles tensed and straightened in his seat. “Beatrice said he passed over their pack.”

“Maybe...or maybe he just saw O'Reilly in private.”

“So Deucalion could have made a deal with O'Reilly...as another test for me?”

“Maybe...what O'Reilly did was bold Stiles. Not many alphas would send a feral omega on a scout mission.”

“Damn it.”

“What?”

Stiles sighed. “I told Laura I was ready.”

“Ready for?”

“Derek.”

“Ah.” Tommy was quiet for a moment. “Stiles, you are ready. You're handling this better than I did when I was a senior.”

“Maybe...but I've always been a wolf.”

“True...but you've only had to deal with all kinds of crazy the last few years.”

“Only because the world keeps trying to end.”

“Yeah okay that part really sucks.”

“Definitely. Hey Tommy?”

“Yeah?”

“Keep me in the loop if you hear anything about Deucalion?”

“I will. Promise.”

“Good. So tell me about the kids.”

“I have a better idea, how about we talk about the Argents instead.”

“Uh...”

“Laura copied the clippings and emailed them to Merton. Pretty cool.”

“Yeah that only happened because my emissary is a hacker.”

“Emissary? You have one now? That's huge!”

“Well, Danny's in training. He's the one the omega attacked.”

“He's okay?”

“Yeah, and he's a pretty good shot too...also his best friend is sort of joining the pack.”

Tommy laughed. “I knew you were expanding...but damn kid.”

“I know! But if I want Danny to stick around, then Jackson gets in too...and now I'm considering Jackson's girlfriend.”

“Any particular reason?”

“She's a genius, and a force to be reckoned with.”

“Think she'll be a good fit?”

“I hope so...she knows there's more to Danny's attack than we've told her. But I haven't shared anything else about it and I'm letting her think things over before we tell her what's going on. Since she's still getting used to having us in her social circle.”

“Just be careful with our secrets.”

“I'll do my best...now what about the Argents?”

“Well...”

Stiles sat back and listened to everything...and for the first time he decided that maybe Kate was the only crazed member of her family. He'd reserve judgment anyway.

xxx

The Leviathan didn't surface right away, it took time for the critters to find their way out of the river and into...well they weren't sure. They knew nothing about the damn things that had killed Cas. Would they have their own form? Would they need vessels like Eve did? Or would they infect like the vampires or skinwalkers did? None of them had any idea. Bobby had his feelers out and nothing to show for it.

The Beacon County and Pleasantville Packs came up empty as well. No one was finding a damn thing in their books. No one knew anything about Leviathan. The Bible certainly didn't help; all it had to say about Leviathan was stuff about sea monsters and whales. 

Not helpful. Though the water connection made sense, since they used the river to scatter themselves to who knows how far. But that was the extent of the good book's use in this particular situation.

Until the ick monsters surfaced they had Sam's growing crazy to deal with. He was getting worse all the time...and he had a specter of Lucifer dancing and prancing around his vision. Whispering in his ear that he was still in the cage, that they never got him out, that at any moment Lucy would yank away the falseness around him and get back to the torture.

Not even Merton reassuring Sam over the phone had helped, because while Merton had killed Lucifer with his somewhat newly acquired angel blade...that didn't stop the figment of Sam's imagination.

But dealing with Sam was better than humoring Bobby and talking about his feelings. Thinking about Cas' final death was the last thing Dean wanted to talk about or think about. It was enough that he could talk to Jo and they could comfort one another a little.

So when a job popped up in Kansas Dean was ready for it, glad to get out of the house and away from Sam so he wouldn't have to walk on eggshells every second, wondering when his little brother would freak out completely.

He regretted that thought later when he saw the black ooze on the wall of the boys' locker room. The Leviathan had surfaced.

xxx

They had taken the kids out for a play date...all of them. It was good for all the kids to have a chance to interact as a pack away from the castle or anyone else's home. So while Tommy was in a conference call with a few other Alphas and Merton was researching for Bobby...Terri, Becka, and Adam had packed the kids up into three vehicles and taken them all to the lake.

It was a pretty secluded so the twins could be as fast and acrobatic as they wanted and it was more spacious than the castle's courtyard. Jesse kept an eye on them, and they tested his control, as they kept trying to jump in the lake and he'd catch them with his will and put them back on the ground. Terri supervised as her powers were similar to Jesse's in that aspect.

Back at the picnic area Becka and Adam had all the babies interacting together. Harley was the oldest and was fascinated by the younger Colby and MaryKate. But since they were so much younger they only held Harley's attention for a short period of time before Harley got to her feet and toddled over to the toys they'd brought with them. Jerry Lee stuck by Harley's side, letting the toddler keep a hand on him for balance.

Jerry Lee had yet to take a human form in front of any of them, preferring to be the family pet. Terri made sure he got a steady supply of animal hearts from the local butchers' though since that was the skinwalkers preferred food. Casper, Becka's familiar, was in human form though and sleepily basking in the shade with the babies on their blanket.

Terri called the twins and Jesse back from their unique game of catch to eat lunch. The picnic blanket was red checkered at Adalynn's insistence and was separate from the one Casper and the babies were napping on.

Jerry Lee diligently helped Harley over to the picnic blanket so Terri could feed her while Becka and Adam dished out the food for the others. Lunch was uneventful and Bailey and Adalynn spent it comparing their teachers in between bites. Evidently they were old enough that the school system was splitting them so they wouldn't be co-dependent on one another. Not that it really mattered, if one of them was upset about something the other would know through the sound of their heart beat or their scent.

Jesse listened to them and answered questions when they asked about middle school as he was in seventh grade and middle school was sort of a mystery to the seven year olds.

Everything was pretty much picture perfect....until Adam, Jesse, and the twins unloaded the pedal boat that had been in the back of Adam's truck. When the four of them got the boat into the water they pedaled around the lake a bit...and then everything went sideways.

Another vehicle pulled up, an older model, possibly a Geo Tracker, and an unfamiliar man stepped out and started toward them. Terri watched him approach her and the babies with narrowed eyes. Jerry Lee left Harley with Casper and moved closer to Terri, growling in warning.

Terri tensed; expecting an attack, Becka already had her angel blade in her hand. Then...the man threw back his head, made a horrible screeching sound, and revealed a mouth full of teeth like nothing they'd ever seen. While it was mid-scream Jerry Lee rushed it, ripping into its throat with his teeth. His muzzle came away covered in black ick and he rebounded teeth still bared as the thing staggered...and healed like the wound was nothing.

Becka started forward...but Terri blocked her with an arm. “Wait...Get the cooler.”

Becka eyed her but did as told and dumped the cooler. The thing lunged at Terri...but then stopped...and slowly rose in the air. It blinked in confusion and surprise at Terri. “What? How are you-?”

“I never met Castiel...but I'm sure he knew about me...if I can make a whirlwind to rival a tornado, and hold open the gates of Lucifer's cage, then a little thing like you isn't going to be a challenge. Becka.”

Becka held the cooler open...and Terri used her power to stuff the thing, into the cooler. Becka closed the cooler. “How are you going to keep it shut?”

“Jesse!”

Jesse had seen everything and had levitated himself over to them from the boat. “Want me to seal it like Merton did the angel cells?”

“Do what you can. This is something new. Merton will need to see it.”

Jesse nodded and started the now familiar spell to seal the thing inside. “What is it?”

“Leviathan I think...it bled black...just like Castiel. I don't know what else it could be.”

“Time to pack up then...there could be more.” Becka muttered. “Casper, keep an eye on the kids.” Terri looked back to Casper, still in his human form, crouched in front of the three smaller children, knife in hand. He nodded at Terri and Becka.

“Not going anywhere.” He told them, and Jerry Lee joined him.

It didn't take long to pack everything up and bundle the kids back into the vehicles. Then Terri levitated the car the creature had used and dropped it into the middle of the lake. No sense in leaving it where it could be found.

They drove back with only one call to Merton. Leviathan had made an appearance in Pleasantville...and they had one for him to study.

xxx

Bobby nearly fishtailed out of the Sioux Falls General Hospital parking lot, hoping to God one of those big mouthed bogies wasn't hot on his tail. He'd never seen anything quite like it, the way the surgeon had thrown his head back and revealed what it really was. Those saw-like teeth, two tongues and...It was horrifying. It made him beyond glad that he'd gotten Sheriff Mills out of there. But he wasn't done yet; he needed to call his boys, all of them. He called Merton first.

“Bobby you okay?” Merton answered on the first ring, voice concerned.

“Not especially...just had my first encounter with one of the Leviathan.”

“How bad?”

“I'm okay, I ran and it didn't chase me. Things look human until they start to feed...then it’s like jaws on two legs. Shotgun didn't faze it.”

“Where are you now?”

“Gettin’ as far from the hospital where it was... Damn thing recognized me, said they had seen me through the angel's eyes.”

“Come to Pleasantville.”

“You sure about that?”

“Dad, if they recognize you they'll know where you live.”

“Cas was at your place too.”

“Yeah but we're better fortified here. Just get here as soon as you can.”

“I'll call Dean and Sam, tell them where to be. I'll see you when I see you kid.”

“Be careful Bobby.”

“Always.” Bobby hung up and called Sam. “Sam!”

“Bobby hey,” Sam greeted, he sounded out of breath; but Bobby didn't have time to worry about that. “What's up?”

“The Sheriff was right; somethin' was eaten folks down at the hospital. Bled black ooze, had lots of teeth, and I double barreled it but it didn't even flinch.”

“Silver buckshot?”

“Yeah, nothin', no effect.”

“Leviathan... So what now?”

“I called Merton. They know where the house is, damn thing recognized me. We need to retreat. You hear me Sam? You and Dean need to get what you need from the house and then head to Pleasantville.”

“Yeah, yeah I got it Bobby. I'll tell Dean, he's with me.”

“Okay...watch your back. Call me when you get started.”

“We will.” Sam hung up and Bobby made a U-turn. If he didn't hear from them he was gonna turn back around and drag them to Pleasantville if he had to.

xxx 

The hits just kept coming.

Dean felt panic seize his chest as they drove up to the house and he parked the Impala. The house was blackened and still smoldering. They got out of the car and walked closer, almost drawn to the burnt remains of what had become home in the last few years.

“Oh no.”

Sam swallowed back grief. “Dean you don't think Bobby was in there do you...he was supposed to go straight to Pleasantville.”

A brief search of what was left of the house showed no signs of Bobby, the lack of a roasted corpse eased his panic just a bit, but it didn't stay eased because he couldn't raise Bobby on his cell. Expanding their search to the scrap yard yielded nothing...even when they split up for a minute.

Dean was just turning back towards Sam's location when he heard an unfamiliar voice. “Winchester.” Oh crap. “Congratulations.” Dean moved closer, quietly, retrieving one of the guns hidden throughout the scrap yard. “It would seem the two of you warrant special attention and can't be overlooked. We have exact orders to kill you. Take that as the compliment it is, one hunter to another.” Dean cocked his shotgun and fired point blank. The thing that looked like a man went down.

But then he came back up, hand to his head, black ick everywhere. Then he saw what Bobby had seen at the hospital, the thing threw its head back and showed off its teeth. And dear God that was terrifying.

Before Dean could even react to the bad Jaws impression the thing was on him, knocking the gun out of his hands, and throwing him nearly across the scrap yard. He hit a car on the way down and his right leg snapped below the knee when he hit the ground.

“Dean!” Sam went passed him and punched thing in the face. “Now!” 

Luckily Dean had landed by the control box for the crane and he grabbed it, intending to drop the car in the air on the monster. However it came up swinging a pipe and hit Sam. Dean pressed the button and the car came crashing down. Sam didn't move from where he'd fallen.

“Damn it! Sammy!”

He fumbled for his cell and called Merton...Bobby would be well on his way to Pleasantville if he was alive.

“Dean?”

“Merton I need you here now. We just took out a Leviathan...but my leg is broken and Sam is out cold.”

“Where are you?”

“Bobby's scrap yard...the house was torched, professional job...do you know if...”

“He's okay, I swear, he just checked in.”

Dean let that relief wash over him. “Good...that's good.”

“Hang on Dean.” Merton hung up, but just seconds later he and Vince were there. Merton went straight to Dean while Vince very carefully picked Sam up. “Hey.”

“Good timing. How is he?”

“We'll check him out later...come on Vince!”

Vince disappeared for a moment, only to reappear without Sam. “Gil has him, let's go.”

With a familiar whoosh of wings they were in the castle’s infirmary. Lori was there, at Sam's side at one of the beds, with black lines traveling up her arm. Gil knelt by Dean and Merton on the floor.

“I'm just going to touch your leg.” He told Dean and he did and it hurt for a second, but then black lines like's Lori's started traveling up Gil's veins and disappeared just past his elbow. “Better?”

“It doesn't hurt.”

“Neat trick we can do. Come on; let’s get you on a bed.” Gil picked him up and got him situated in his very own hospital bed. “You can relax for a bit Dean. We'll get the two of you patched up.”

“Thanks, but I'll relax when Bobby gets here.”

Merton grinned. “Fair enough.”

xxx

Jackson had been on edge for days, ever since Lydia had said she'd think about hanging out with them at Gran's. He was already part of the pack and didn't want to choose between his Alpha and his girlfriend. Stiles reassured him though, and that was a weird experience, reassuring Jackson. But Stiles had a good feeling about letting Lydia in.

So even though they were on high alert, because of the recent clashes the guys and the Pleasantville pack had had with the Leviathan, Stiles made the offer to Lydia. He told her if she was ready to come with Jackson and spend the weekend with them, and to dress for hiking. She had given him an odd look but nodded. 

When Jackson's Porsche parked in Gran's driveway Stiles came out to meet them and help them get their bags in. Jackson only had one, and Lydia had three. “Lydia...its only one weekend and we'll be spending a lot of it outside.”

“I know, but I haven't exactly done a lot of hiking so I went shopping for a whole new wardrobe.” She carried a smaller bag with effort, it apparently held more than it looked capable of. She eyed him in surprise as he pried the two large bags out of the tiny trunk and then carried them around the car with ease. “Jackson could barely lift those.”

He shrugged. “I'll tell you everything if you’re ready... Just remember lives depend on all of this staying secret.”

She nodded and followed him, Jackson at her side. “I wouldn't have come if I wasn't ready to join your secret club. You sure your gran won't mind us using her house?”

“Gran's part of the club.” He shot back at her with a smile.

Her gaze remained thoughtful as he led them inside and up to the second floor and directed them each to a room. Jackson objected. “We can share a room Stilinski, it’s not like we haven't before.”

Stiles looked at them for a moment. “Hey Gran?”

She called from the first floor. “Yes?”

“You mind if Jackson and Lydia bunk together?”

“The Alpha is asking my permission?”

He laughed. “The Alpha is being respectful of his Pack Elder since it’s her house and all.”

“It’s fine Stiles. Get them settled.”

“Cool. You get your wish. This way, you can have this room.” He stepped inside and placed the bags by the bed. Lydia and Jackson followed and Lydia perched on the bed and gave Stiles a look.

“Pack? Alpha?”

He shrugged. “I'm the Alpha of the Beacon County Pack. I'm a werewolf.”

“Prove it.”

He shifted to his beta-form and her eyes widened and her breath quickened. Her heart sped up, but there was very little fear in her scent. “All Lycaon Werewolves can take this form; it’s called a beta-form. Alphas, like me, can take full wolf form...well some of us can.”

“Can you?”

“Only if you don't mind me stripping.”

She glanced at Jackson who shrugged. “I've seen it before.”

“Do it.” He snorted at the command and she swallowed. “Please.”

Stiles stripped and shifted completely, wagging his tail at them. Lydia moved from the bed and ran a hand through his fur, from the top of his head to the ruff around his neck and shoulders. Jackson moved closer and did the same, it was an unusual move for the other boy, but he was getting better about being touchy feely with the pack. Hugs were getting to be a regular occurrence with him.

“What do you think Lyds?” Jackson asked her, eyes hopeful as they pet Stiles.

“Amazing...have you...are you a werewolf Jackson?”

“No I'm human. I kind of want to stay that way.” He took her hands and drew them away from Stiles so he could shift back and redress.

“So, you ready to meet the rest of the pack?”

She stood with Jackson, still holding hands. “Yes...and you're going to tell me everything...right?”

“I'll tell you everything, promise. Come on. We'll talk tonight, and you can watch everyone train tomorrow.”

“Are you expecting a war?”

He grimaced. “You know how crazy the world's been the past few years?”

“Yes.”

“We'll tell you about that too...and why we're expecting a war.”

Her eyes hardened and Stiles knew he'd made the right decision. Lydia would be a force to be reckoned with. “Let’s get started.”

Stiles grinned and led them back downstairs.

XXX


	5. Rough Edges

One by One  
Rough Edges

calikocat  
Word count: 6520

XXX

Lydia's first weekend with the pack went amazingly well.

The first night they'd taken it easy and only shared information with her, telling her everything about werewolves, hunters and monsters. Then their personal histories; Peter even gave the okay to share about Epsilons, as it was part of why his nurse had been molesting him.

Then they gave her the tour of Gran's house. Over the summer they had done some rearranging, moving her computer set up from the living room to an unused bedroom on the first floor. The kitchen, bedrooms, and bathrooms were all pretty standard and Lydia gave each a look of approval. The bunker was, of course, saved for last. As always it impressed, with its own kitchen, facilities, and the same number of bathrooms as the house above it. It took a while to get her out of the library though, Stiles had a thought that maybe they had another scholar in her.

They wrapped up their Friday night with pizza and lighter conversation, which was nice once Lydia shed the persona she wore at school. Get them away from the 'cool crowd' and she and Jackson were even pleasant.

Saturday morning after breakfast they started training and just like Stiles thought, Lydia was a badass. She had a natural talent for the weapons before she even familiarized herself with them. And once she'd fired each gun and became acquainted with the mechanics she excelled at them. The throwing knives and stars were harder, but they took a while for everyone to get the hang of.

They didn't go any further with weapons training that weekend, saving the bigger knives and swords for another time.

That night was her first pack pile. They all camped out in the yard with just sleeping bags and night sky. Stiles was in full alpha-form all night and at the center so most of them were curled around him.

And Sunday they relaxed, ate a late breakfast, and were basically lazy. He didn't offer to take her on patrol and wouldn't until she'd had more practice at everything. When she and Jackson left that evening about half of her luggage stayed in their room for next time. She even asked when she could come back. Stiles had just grinned.

“We come over almost every day, and pretty much every weekend. You have an open invitation.” She'd nodded and grinned back before joining Jackson in his car and driving off. Then Stiles eyed Danny, “Feel up to a quick patrol around the county lines?”

“Sure.”

 

They didn't know that just a few days later they would end up on high alert because the Leviathans got a little proactive toward the Winchesters.

xxx

The chaos that followed their arrival in Pleasantville was only doubled when Gil went into heat and there was one less wolf to take the pain of the injured...and no one to man the phones. Gabriel had only given the boys a jaunty wave before whisking Gil away upstairs to deal with his heat. Dean had seemed okay with it and had even given them a thumb up, but that could have just been the euphoria he was experiencing from Tommy taking his pain.

Either way things were taken care of and Gil didn't have to worry about it anymore, he knew there were others who could man the phones, Terri for example, or Becka. This was a good thing, because now, hours later the only thoughts in his head involved getting off with Gabriel.

Gabriel was leaning against the headboard, his cock deep inside of him as Gil straddled him, knot firmly in place. He hadn't come yet and was rocking slowly, basking in the feel of the knot rubbing against his prostate. Gil was so lost in pleasure that he didn't comment when Balthazar poofed into the room. He just kept going.

Balthazar watched them for a moment and Gabriel smirked at him. “Like what you see brother?”

“I never understood your fascination with mortals, but this...did you really alter your vessel so you'd have a knot?”

“Yep.”

“Trying to make puppies then?”

“No. We've got a rubber. Gil will probably take something to make sure.”

Gil threw his head back with a gasp and came all over Gabriel's stomach. “Too many pups. Getting... getting pregnant now wouldn't... wouldn't be practical.” He was panting a bit and slumped forward, letting his head rest on Gabriel's shoulder. “Please leave.”

Balthazar smiled and disappeared. Gabriel kissed his temple. “You okay?”

“Yes.”

Gabriel ran his hands up and down Gil's sides and Gil relaxed. “I want pups...just not right now.”

He smiled. “We have time.”

“Not this time...my heat is just about over...heats brought on by emergencies and crisis never last as long.”

“I've never understood that.”

Gil sat back and groaned when the movement made Gabriel's knot rub at him. “Biological quirk. Our species way of ensuring survival... Have an emergency, pop out a pup. It happens when there's a death in the pack too.”

“Hmm... So you want pups huh?”

“Yes.”

“Just let me know when you want to work on that.”

Gil leaned forward again to kiss him. “I will.”

xxx

Jo tensed up and looked toward the front door just before someone knocked on it. Peter gave her a look. “What? Most of the pack is at school, and they certainly wouldn't knock.”

“There's an angel outside...and we don't have any holy oil.”

An unfamiliar voice called out from the other side. “Oh come now Jo, it’s just me.”

Peter blinked at the door and looked at her again. “I take it you're on friendly terms with this angel?”

Jo didn't reply, but she did grin and answer the door, “Hey Balthazar.”

Balthazar the angel appeared to be somewhere in his early forties, dark blond hair and just a bit of scruff. He looked to be about Peter's height so when he looked down at her the difference was more than noticeable. His blue-grey eyes grew wide as he took her in. “You're glowing.” Peter tried not to snort but didn't really succeed which made the angel glare at him a little. “I wasn't being cheeky; I meant the baby's grace. It is half angel after all.”

Jo let out a laugh and pulled the angel inside, closing the door behind him. “Hey Balthazar,” And she pulled him down a bit so she could kiss his cheek.

“You look well my dear.” He gave her a gentle hug.

“Thanks, and not that I'm not glad to see you, but what's up?”

“We haven't been rescuing my ungrateful brethren lately so I thought I’d pop in and heal that Peter fellow a bit while I have energy to spare.”

She didn't look like she entirely believed him. “Checking up on me huh?”

“That too. How is the little tyke?” He gestured to her middle where she was just starting to thicken.

“He's stopped making me sick.”

“It’s a boy?”

“Yep.” She pulled him into the living room. “Peter, this is Balthazar, Balthazar, Peter Hale.”

Peter was still wobbly on his feet so he didn't bother to stand or shake hands. Instead he flashed his eyes at the angel and tilted his head. “He's different from the other one who came.”

Balthazar smirked. “Well we can't all be Archangels...fancy a bit of sun Mr. Hale? You look a bit pale. I'll heal you some while we're out.” Peter narrowed his eyes a little but nodded and Jo went back to open the door for them. Balthazar leaned down and picked Peter up like he weighed nothing and carried him onto the front porch and set him in the middle of the swing.

Jo closed the door and joined them; sitting on Peter's left while Balthazar knelt in front of him and touched his forehead. A strange feeling came over him, it felt like when his body used to be able to heal on its own, some of his fatigue even left.

“The last of the scars are gone,” Jo commented with a smile.

Peter tried not to smile at Balthazar as he stood and sat on his right. “Thank you.”

They sat there, the three of them and talked for a bit. Peter learned that Balthazar had a love of fine wines, living richly, and had no plans to ever return to heaven. And that he hated Celine Dion. Their conversation only came to a halt when Ellen opened the door and stared at them.

“I didn't hear anyone drive up.”

“This is Balthazar, Mom.”

“Ah. Are you staying for lunch?”

“I don't have plans to be anywhere else.”

Ellen nodded. “Lunch and dinner then, Jo wanna give me a hand in the kitchen?”

“Sure.” Jo followed her back inside and Balthazar turned a bit so he could face Peter.

“How are you really?”

“You realize Jo can still hear us.”

“Not if I don't want her too, angel, remember?”

Peter moved a bit so he wasn't as close and could face Balthazar properly, why not be completely truthful with someone. “I'm not feeling as murderous...if I'd been left to heal on my own there's no telling what state my mind would be in.”

“Didn't your niece do just that?”

“She did, but all three Stilinskis’ have been looking after me since the fire.”

“And that makes up for it?”

He nodded. “It does. Tom would come visit during his breaks, to chat, to tell me what was going on in the county. Harriet would sit and read to me and Stiles would sneak in and nap, or talk to me about everything that he could think of.”

“And that helped?”

“It helped keep me sane...but the real healing started when Stiles brought Jo in. Having another wolf seeking comfort, giving me a purpose, and giving me comfort in return...that's what helped.”

Balthazar nodded, eyes going toward the door. “I don't know what the girl sees in Dean Winchester, but my brother Castiel loved her and she's carrying his child. She's family.”

“I'm not going to go on a killing spree.”

“Good.” Balthazar frowned then and his nose twitched. “What's that smell?”

Peter snorted. “Well, thanks to you my body is almost done healing so my heat will be starting soon.”

“Ah, you're an Epsilon, like Gil in Pleasantville. He and Gabriel are going through his heat now.”

Peter hadn't met the other wolf but he'd heard about him so he nodded. “It should be a full one.”

“Full one?”

“Yes, not like the minor ones I was experiencing when that woman...” He trailed off and shuddered at the memory. 

Balthazar took his hand, and then stared at their joined hands like he was surprised he'd done so. He smiled though. “It’s alright; your pack is making sure she's locked up for good.” When Peter raised a brow in question the angel shrugged. “I heard all about it from the pack in Pleasantville. That woman is going to prison right? As is the one who had the fire started.”

Peter nodded, he was aware of what Kate Argent had done, not just to their pack, but to Derek personally. He wondered how his nephew was still sane with all that guilt. “They want to do things as legal as possible, so they won't draw attention that we don't need...but...”

“But?”

Peter's eyes glowed blue. “At least one of them needs to die.”

Balthazar gave him a wicked grin. “I agree.”

Peter found himself grinning back.

xxx

Dean's leg had been healed, but he was under order to take it easy...just in case. That was fine because he was in his element, babysitting Harley while Terri was at work. He was especially proud of himself that he didn't freak out the first time he saw her dog. Of course he recognized Lucky right away, but he didn't rat the guy out, not intentionally anyway.

Lucky was the one who gave himself away by first running into a chair when he saw Dean...then hiding. Terri put it all together because Jerry Lee had never acted like that before. She'd had to coax him out, and while she did Dean picked up Harley and bounced her lightly in his arms.

“Hey kid, you were a boy the last time I saw you.” 

“See.” Terri said from the bedroom doorway. “Dean knows about Harley, he kept Harley safe. It’s okay Jerry Lee.”

Lucky...Jerry Lee peered around the door frame at Dean. “Nice to see you again too. He taken his human form around you?”

“No, he seems content to stay the way he is...when a Leviathan came at us at the lake Jerry Lee led the charge.”

“You gotta watch yourself with those things Jerry Lee, don't let them get their teeth in you. Okay?”

Jerry Lee had wagged his tail and that had been that.

 

When he wasn't watching Harley he kept an eye on Sam. He just wasn't sure if Sam was any better...he, at least, had a way of chasing away the hell vision by pressing down on his newest scar. It wasn't a perfect solution, but at least he wasn't shooting wildly in the middle of hallucinations anymore. Once was enough.

But...Sam did seem to have true moments of peace...the first time they noticed it was when Sam was holding MaryKate. And when he realized the hell vision was gone he immediately handed her back to Becka thinking it had transferred to the baby. Becka, however, had a hunch and handed MaryKate to Dean and held Sam's hand. The hell vision went away again...and nothing happened to Becka. So whenever Sam held MaryKate, Colby, or the twins...he didn't have any Lucifer to deal with. Something about them, their angel bits apparently, kept it in check when they were in contact. It was a bit of silver lining anyway, one everyone appreciated.

The one thing Dean hadn't expected during their laying low phase was to see Gary Frankel.

 

He was in the middle of eating a piece of pie when Tommy marched the teen into the kitchen and made him sit at the table. Dean stared at Gary. Gary gave him a nervous smile and a little wave.

“Oh hell no. How did you even know we were here?”

“Um...research?”

Tommy looked from Gary to Dean. “Who is this kid?”

“He's the guy who switched bodies with Sam.”

Recognition showed in the Alpha's eyes. “Oh him, Merton 2.0...” He blinked and focused on Gary. “What did you mean by research?”

“Um. Fan sites. I kind of googled all you guys...and found out about the books...both series. And a few fans have made the connections between Supernatural and Big Wolf. Especially since the vampires are exactly the same. This one fan, Becky Winchester, has been writing crossover fanfiction and really seems to know more about all of you than anyone else, and her fics are really explicit-”

Dean pointed his fork at Gary in what he hoped looked like a threat. “Stop right there. I don't want to hear anymore.”

Tommy was blushing a little. “So that's how you found us, but why are you here?”

“I'm here to learn magic? The right way?”

“Didn't we warn you about that? I'm pretty sure we even threatened you.”

He gave Dean an insulted look. “I'm not messing with demons or switching places with people or anything.”

“What have you been doing?”

“Talking with Merton, well emailing. He's helped me out a lot.”

“How did you even get in touch with him?”

Tommy sighed. “Sam pointed him in our direction.”

“Oh...that's why you called him Merton 2.0.” He gave Gary another look. “Shouldn't you be in college by now?”

“Dropped out...and I hitchhiked here so my parents wouldn't track me by my car. So...can I stay?”

“That's not up to me.” He shot a look to Tommy, who just shrugged.

“I'll talk to Merton; see what he wants to do.

After the usual tests to make sure he was indeed Gary Frankel, though Tommy assured them the kid at least smelled human, Merton ended up agreeing. So they set him up in one of the smaller rooms on the first floor. And while the kid was excited about that he asked if the position of emissary was available. He was a little upset to find out they already had one in training...and that it was the antichrist. Then...because she thought it would be funny Becka led him to the library where he could finish his research by actually reading the two book series.

Probably the only amusing part about Gary moving in was how the kid freaked Bobby out a little. The old man had been sure that Merton had been one of a kind personality wise. There being someone so similar made him edgy.

xxx

Things were calm for a while since the guys had taken refuge and more or less went into hiding in Pleasantville. Balthazar, an angel on their side, visited often. At first it had been to visit Jo since, as he put it, she was family. But he kept popping up, and usually in Peter's company, so Stiles had a 'talk' with him.

He'd waited until they were alone and was very blunt about what he wanted to say. “What are your intentions toward Peter?”

“You realize I could squash you like a bug don't you?”

“Yes, but that doesn't change anything. As his acting alpha I'm responsible for him and I don't want anyone to hurt him or take advantage of him. Ever. Again. So, your intentions?”

“I was curious at first; my brother Gabriel seems quite taken with the wolf, Gil. So I decided to have a look around, chat up an unattached wolf...I wasn't expecting Peter to be so...charming...and vicious. It’s appealing.” He seemed puzzled by that. “I don't normally find mortals appealing.”

“So...I guess that means you're the one who made the nurse's death look like a suicide.”

“We agreed one of them had to die...killing Kate Argent would bring hunters down on your pack, no matter how that death happened, even if it looked like suicide. So we agreed on the nurse. Does that upset you?”

“That she's dead? No. I just couldn't do it and I couldn't let anyone in the pack be responsible for it either. Thank you.”

“It was for Peter not you.”

Stiles raised a brow at him. “You did something for a member of my pack that I was unable to do. So I thanked you. Now. Peter.”

“Oh hell, I'm courting the fellow alright?”

“Okay, just remember we're all protective of him, especially Jo, and if you hurt him no one will hesitate to set you on fire with holy oil.”

“Right then...so...when his heat hits you won't mind if I whisk him off on a little vacation?”

“No, just as long as it’s what he wants.”

“Understood.”

With that out of the way he felt a little lighter, less worried. If something really bad happened he had no doubt that Balthazar would come running to aid them...or at least rescue Peter so Stiles wouldn't have to worry about him.

 

The beginning of October came and went, and his birthday followed soon after. Normally Stiles just celebrated with his dad and Gran, and then Scott. This time though was different. The party was at Lydia's...and he hadn't even known there was going to be a party until he walked in the door to find the track team and the lacrosse team, both of which he had quit to focus on more important things.

The party was lively and fun, even if it was another tactic between Jackson and Lydia to raise his popularity. He didn't object; Lydia was in her element and happily playing hostess, Jackson at her side and not even a little surly.

The best part about his birthday, however, other than the more private celebration that he still had with Dad and Gran...was the fact that he'd turned seventeen. His present from Gran had been a whole bunch of condoms and lube which he accepted gladly, though Dad had spluttered and choked on his cake a bit. Gran had smacked him on the back and told him to get over it as he might as well get used to the idea of his son having sex.

After all, the Hales could show up at any time.

xxx

Gary moving in didn't change much, Dean hardly saw the kid while he was playing catch up with the books. That first week he was camped out in the library reading every moment he was awake. The day he finished, Gary zombie walked to his room and collapsed on his bed. He slept for hours, missing breakfast and lunch, when the bell chimed at the front door.

Dean had been watching Harley again, this time at the castle; and happened to be closest to the door as he was on his way to the playpen in the living room with a sleeping baby on his shoulder. Jerry Lee and Sparky seemed to materialize beside and behind him as he opened the door.

There were two people on the porch, a woman and man; both young, probably in their twenties, and good looking. Pale skin, black hair...and Dean wasn't sure what to call the color of their eyes but it was pretty. They stared back at him, obviously surprised to see him and neither knew how to react.

“Can I help you?” He asked the woman, she had subtly moved herself in front of the guy who looked to be younger. He'd often done the same thing when he and Sam came across someone they were unsure of. “Relax; obviously I'm not a threat since I'm babysitting Harley.” He looked down to Sparky and Jerry Lee. “Don't suppose one of you could vouch for these two?” Both wagged their tails. “Cool, so go get one of the homeowners already and tell them they've got company, I'm gonna put Harley in the playpen.” Sparky took off but Jerry Lee stayed. Dean looked to the visitors. “Close the door on your way in.” He told them as he walked away, leaving the door open, with Jerry Lee on his heels.

They came in, closing the door, followed him and watched him put Harley in the playpen; Jerry Lee lay down beside it to stand guard. Then he motioned them to continue on and they ended up in the library. Normally someone would be in there; but Gary was unconscious, Bobby was rounding up copies of his old library, Adam and Becka were house hunting, and Sam was somewhere with Tommy on the castle grounds.

“Everyone's been a bit busy lately so maybe I missed it, but no one mentioned we'd be getting more visitors. So I'll start the introductions. I'm Dean Winchester. Adam's oldest brother. Now you go.”

The woman smiled a bit. “I'm Laura Hale, an alpha from New York. This is my younger brother Derek.”

Dean blinked. “You're Peter's niece and nephew.” He searched their faces anew for similarities. “Other than the cheek bones you don't look much like him.”

“You know Peter?”

“Yeah. He's better by the way, walking and talking.”

She frowned. “It sounds like you have something you want to say to me.”

“Why'd you leave him behind?”

“You don't know what we've been through.”

Dean snorted. “I know it all kid. Heard it from Stiles, Merton, and Tommy. Hell I've heard it from Peter. You're not the only ones who've had a crappy life, but if there's one thing I've learned, leaving family behind doesn't solve anything.”

“You-”

“Your pack was wiped out by hunters. I get that. When I was four I watched a demon burn my mother alive...and my dad turned to Hunting.” They both tensed. “Relax, we don't hunt Lycaons, you guys aren't monsters. Besides,” He smirked. “Stiles would kick my ass if I hurt Derek.”

“That's the second time you've used that name...who is Stiles?” Derek asked him, speaking for the first time.

“The young alpha who's gonna kick Laura's ass the second she sets foot in his territory for abandoning Peter.” They stared, comprehension slowly taking root.

“Stiles...is LA?”

Dean nodded. “Yep, he's been building his pack, one of his betas is my girlfriend Jo...another is my cousin Gwen. Both of them are hunters.”

Laura shook her head. “I still think that's reckless, turning hunters.”

He shrugged. “The more the two mix, the less likely packs like yours and his mom's will get wiped out.”

“Maybe...” She paused. “Wait...Stiles? There is no way the kid's name is really Stiles Stilinski.”

Derek jerked toward her in surprise. “Stilinski? LA is Deputy Stilinski's son?”

“Sheriff Stilinski.” Dean corrected him. “And Stiles isn't his real name, he won't tell us what it is...and neither will Aunt Harriet.” He grinned. “That's something else you'll have to get used to.”

“What's that?” Laura asked.

“With Derek here being Stiles' mate that makes us family. He's a Winchester by blood, his grandma Harriet and my grandpa Henry were sister and brother.” He winked at Derek. “Welcome to the family.”

“That sounded ominous.” Merton commented as he entered the library.

“Colby finally go down for his nap?”

“Yeah, with Vince and Sparky standing guard. Hey Laura, Derek. Welcome back.” He hugged them both. “I see you've met Dean.”

“Yes, it’s been interesting.” She shook her head. “He's going to kick my ass huh?”

“Yep.”

“Who's kicking who's ass...and did I miss lunch?” Gary yawned from the doorway. “Oh...more people.”

Merton nodded. “Gary this is Laura and Derek, they'll be staying for a while. Guys this is Gary Frankel, our newest witch in training.”

“Uh, nice to meet you.” Gary nodded...and his stomach growled. “Um...”

Merton grinned and looked toward the Hales. “Have you eaten?”

“Not yet.” Derek smiled. “We always come here hungry, you know that.”

“Come on then, before Gary starves. Coming Dean?”

“I've already eaten, but I want to hear the detailed version of how Derek and Stiles met.”

“Oh God,” Derek groaned. Laura, however, laughed.

xxx

Scott had been agitated since their first class after receiving a text message, so agitated that he was snapping at everyone. Nice guy Scott who couldn't stand to pick on a soul, no matter what, was being a jerk. Lydia looked like she was ready to maim him and Stiles had to intervene, because there was only one person who could put Scott in such a mood. Rafael McCall.

At lunch when they gathered at their usual table Scott apologized to Lydia and the others while Stiles gave him a pat on the shoulder. “What's he done this time?”

“Nothing. Mom just texted me to tell me he was back in town; but it’s never good when he shows up.”

“Yeah I know.”

“What exactly is up with your dad?” Jackson asked.

“He has issues with everything in Beacon Hills...and the people he hates most are Stiles and his dad.”

Danny shook his head. “Stiles is an acquired taste.”

“Hey!”

“But everyone likes the Sheriff.”

Scott and Stiles shared a look and then both rolled their eyes. “Special Agent McCall accused my dad of sleeping with Scott's mom...even when my mom was alive.”

“He didn't like your mom either.” Scott reminded him.

“That's because the one time he hit Melissa, my mom threw him through your living room window.”

He blinked. “That's what happened? No one would ever tell me, and I was just glad he moved out after that.”

“Your mom threw him through a window?” Lydia asked; a smile on her face. “Wish I could have met her.”

“You'd have loved her.” He turned back to Scott. “So? How are you going to avoid him this time?”

“As long as Harris doesn't give you detention I figured I'd get a ride with you.”

Stiles made a face. “I'll try not to piss him off today, but my very existence seems to drive him crazy.”

“What's up with that?” Danny asked. “He doesn't like anyone but Jackson, but he hates you.”

“I know!”

“He hasn't dared give me detention, and he's indifferent to my brilliance, but he doesn't go out of his way to make me miserable.” Lydia commented.

“It’s weird. Scott, I promise to do my best, but you might want a backup ride.”

“Where do you want to go?” Danny asked.

“He'll look for me at home or Stiles' place...anywhere else I should be safe.”

“You can go home with me until we all meet up at Harriet's.”

They shared a victory fist bump and everything was okay again.

xxx

Scott sighed and checked his phone. Stiles would be free soon so he'd told Danny he'd wait. His best friend hadn't gotten detention per se... but Harris had claimed he was disrupting class, wouldn't let him finish the quiz, and told him to stay after school to take it. It was bogus and everyone knew it but no one could figure out why Harris had it in for Stiles, just that he did. However, since it wasn't a full blown detention Scott had ushered Danny on, Stiles could still give him a ride. He sighed again and leaned against the jeep.

“Come on Stiles, it’s an easy quiz.”

“The Stilinski kid has detention again?” Scott jumped, heart racing and turned to see his dad a few feet away. “Sorry, didn't mean to scare you.”

Scott frowned...his dad never apologized for anything. “What are you doing here?”

“I just wanted to talk.”

“So? Talk.”

“You hungry? We can go grab a bite, my treat.”

“No. I have to go to work.”

“I can give you a ride.”

“No thanks.”

“Come on.” He grabbed Scott then, hand tight around his wrist.

“Let go, you're hurting me.”

Rafael looked at him surprised. “So you're one of those, you know there's not many of you.”

“What are you talking about?” Scott asked, and then jerked back in surprise, breaking Rafael's hold on him. Melissa, his mom, was behind her ex with a tire iron that she clocked him with before he could grab Scott again. Rafael stumbled, black blood seeping from his head.

She froze when she saw the black, “Oh my god.”

Scott, however, knew exactly what was going on. “Mom, run!”

The Leviathan straightened up and threw its head back in a scream, showing its impossibly wide mouth full of sharp teeth. Then the scream was drowned out by an engine and a Mini Cooper rammed into it. It hit the ground in a daze and Danny, who was behind the wheel, sat with his eyes wide and seemingly frozen in place. Scott grabbed his mom, intending to shove her in Danny's car; when the thing got up, covered in even more black blood, murder in its eyes. It took a step toward them, but before it could get any further than that Stiles was there, claws out as he ripped the Leviathan's head off. He stood there, eyes red, the head in his clawed hands, black ooze dripping on the pavement.

“Oh my God,” Melissa said again.

Scott pulled her close and hugged her. “Its okay, Stiles stopped it.”

“That wasn't-”

“No. It wasn't him. It’s a monster called a Leviathan...Dad is probably dead.”

She pulled away from him, staring at Stiles. “Stiles...he...”

“He's a werewolf, just like Claudia was. He's always been a werewolf. Mom...what are you doing here?”

“He...he knocked me out and locked me in his trunk. I used the safety latch to get out...It’s really dead?”

Stiles shook his head, staring disgustingly at the one in his grasp. “No... Nothing we know of kills them.” He looked away and at all of them, “Everybody okay?” Scott nodded, as did his mom. “Danny?”

Danny got out of his car, eyes still a little wide. “I...I'm okay. I have something in my trunk you can put the head in.”

“Thanks.”

Danny got two bags, one plastic and the other made of some sort of canvas with symbols painted on it. “I used the symbols Mr. Singer told us about, the ones he made for hex boxes.”

“Good thinking.” 

They double bagged the head and Scott offered Stiles a bottle of water from his backpack to rinse off the blood. “Now what?”

Stiles got his phone out after patting his hands dry. “We put the body in the trunk Melissa escaped from and then I call Rufus and Gwen. I've had plenty experience disposing of bodies...but not cars. Melissa? Can you go with Danny and Scott to the clinic? You'll be safe there. We'll tell you everything later over at Gran's okay?

She nodded. “Okay.”

“What about the head?” Danny asked.

“Give it to Deaton. Merton's got a whole one to experiment on...but maybe he'll learn something new from the head.”

Scott grinned at Danny. “Guess I need that ride after all.”

Danny nodded. “Get in.” He took the bagged head from Stiles and put it in the trunk. “I'll call Gran.”

“Thanks.”

Scott helped his mom into the back seat. “I'll call Ellen.” Then he climbed in after her.

“See you later.”

Danny gave a little wave and they drove off, his mom started to shake then and Scott hugged her again.

 

Rufus and Gwen had already picked up the car, body locked in the trunk and warded, and Jackson was helping him wash away the black ick in the parking lot. Thank God there was almost no one else around. They finished and Stiles thanked him before sending him on to meet Lydia. They were going to get dinner, including some of Melissa's favorite ice cream, to help soften what they were going to have to tell her.

While he had a moment to himself he called Pleasantville. “Dawkins/Dingle residence.”

“Hey Gil.”

“Stiles, how are you?”

“Not good, we just had a Leviathan encounter.”

“Leviathan! Wait, let me put you on speaker...go ahead.”

“Scott was approached by it in the school parking lot. It had disguised itself as his dad.”

Merton's voice came over the line. “Scott McCall, your best friend?”

“Yeah. It touched him, I guess to take his form...but it couldn't. I guess some humans can't be copied. 

“That's an upside, anyone hurt?” He asked.

“Melissa, Scott's mom, has a bump on her head where it knocked her out and stuffed her in a trunk. She got out and clocked it with a tire iron though.”

Tommy was next, understanding in his voice, “Sounds like she's getting the talk tonight.”

“Yeah...but that's not the bad news.

“What is?” Merton asked.

“Scott's dad was FBI; they're going into high-power positions. Thought you should know.”

“Thanks Stiles.”

“Welcome, how are things on your end?”

“The same.” Merton told him. “Still haven't found a way to kill them. What did you do with yours?”

“Sent the head to Deaton. Rufus and Gwen have the body and car; they're getting rid of both now.”

“Hey Stiles.” It was Dean. “How'd you stun it long enough to get the head?”

“My emissary hit it with his car.”

“Nice.”

“How's Sam?”

“About to get his ass kicked. He took my car on a hunt and won't answer his phone.”

Stiles tried not to smile. “Don't be too brutal, he had to have a reason.” Then he paused and his smile got bigger, “Hey Derek.”

“...Hello.”

“I see you've met my cousins, the Winchesters. You okay?”

“I'm fine.”

“Good, I'll see you soon.”

“Can't wait.”

Stiles hung up, grin still on his face.

xxx

Merton hadn't allowed Dean to join them when they retrieved Sam; the guy had suffered enough head trauma. He and Vince appeared in the house Sam was in, talking to a kitsune if Dean was right. They waited quietly and listened to them talk. The kitsune explained why she had killed. 

She opened the door behind her to reveal a bedroom...and a sleeping boy. “This is Jacob, my son.” She closed it again. “I've built a life here Sam.”

Vince gave Merton a look and he shook his head and they continued to listen. She'd been feeding on the dead, as a mortician she could quietly get what they needed. But Jacob had gotten sick and needed the fresh meat. Merton nodded at Vince then and stepped out where Amy could see him.

“You satisfied with that Sam?”

Sam jumped a bit. “Jesus Merton, don't do that!”

Merton smiled at both of them. “I thought it would be better for me to show up rather than your brother.”

“Yeah.” Sam put his knife away and looked to Amy again. “You swear it’s over?”

“I give you my word.”

“Good.” Merton clapped his hands. “Now, you go back with Vince.” Vince stepped forward. “I'll drive the Impala back.” Vince put his hand on Sam and they disappeared, the sound of wings filled the room.

“What was he?”

“An angel...sort of. It’s a long and complicated story. Hey, have you tried supplementing your diet with pituitary glands from pigs?”

“They're not as good, but they help...I don't have to leave?”

He shook his head. “No... But if other hunters come after you, you're welcome to take shelter with us in Pleasantville, Missouri.” He handed her a card with his contact information. “If you drive over just look for the castle.” Then he winked and headed outside to the Impala.

Merton had always wanted to drive it.

XXX

Notes: I removed the notes that were here and I removed the need for them. Please refrain from giving me more information that I do not want or need.


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